Queen of the Ocean.
The Last Word in Luxury.
The disaster that took the lives of 1,517 people.
The Unsinkable Ship.
It was 100 years ago when the tragedy of the Titanic took place in 1912. Throughout history, there have been other ships that have sank just as the Titanic, but what ranks this one as the most memorable, is the disastrous amount of deaths.
With the centennial year of this calamity being 2012, my curiousity has been aroused to do some extra researching and studying about the Titanic. I'll be posting my findings every day for the next three weeks (maybe more?), and I hope you will enjoy it, as I plan to give information on all aspects of the Titanic. The actual sinking didn't happen until April 14th, but I have a lot to tell you about before we get there!
Where was this mighty ship exactly 100 years ago, to the date?
It might be interesting to think of this as actually happening today, on March 31st, and follow along with the rest of my coming posts as a day-to-day timeline. If the Titanic were a modern-built ship, this is what would be happening now.
March 31, 1912
Shown above, the R.M.S. Titanic during construction.
The town of Belfast, Ireland, had watched for 3 years, as the Titanic was built before their eyes. It had taken Harland and Wolff's shipyard the entire timespan to build this ship, piece by piece.
I found this photo of the Harland & Wolff Shipyard drawing room in 1911, when the last details were still being worked on. At the back of the room you can see a plan of the Titanic, notably identified by its iconic 4 funnels.
To be exact, work had began on March 31, 1909, and had ended on the same date in 1912---quite a coincidence! So, "today" the outfitting of the great ship in Belfast was complete. The years of planning, the years of building, the years of waiting, had all led up to this anticipated moment. The Titanic was ready to cross the ocean, and the entire world had their eye on her.
Are you ready for what happens next? To start off this series of posts, I'd like to use the same exact words that Stephen Hines wrote in his book about the Titanic:
"Here, then, is the unfolding drama of the Titanic as readers of 1912 experienced it, a commemoration of this great vessel one hundred years after her tragic loss."
('Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World')
Now that the Titanic has been finished, are you interested in what happens the day afterwards? Belfast was wondering the same thing. Come back tomorrow for the next post in this series! I'll be interested in learning your thoughts along the way of this incredible journey.
#2. A Louisa May Alcott reading challenge! Do you have any plans for your summer reading yet? I have mine planned out... and I don't really think it's too-too early to be getting my summer reading list into order, is it? Starting in May, I'll tell you all the specifics of the Louisa May Alcott challenge, but I thought I'd introduce the idea now. I'm hoping some of my fellow bookworms will join me!!
Through everything the ten Boom family endured, they found some way to honor God and actually be thankful for the awful predicaments they were put in. To think that sleeping in damp, flea-infested beds could open an obscure opportunity! As I read chapter after chapter, it seemed that wherever Corrie and Betsie were, strange and wonderful surprises happened. There were so many blessings in the midst of fright and violence, that I simply lost count of them all. I know the reason why these gifts were showered on them; it was their steadfast faith.
