Eight Things About the Titanic That You Might Not Know

From the April 15, 2022 Buzz "These 8 Titanic secrets surfaced 110 years after the wreck."

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, 110 years ago.  It wasn't until 36 years ago that the wreck was discovered.

**  The 700+ third class passengers had to share just two bathtubs.

**  One of the ship's musicians wasn't officially declared dead until 2000.  As a matter of fact, the French Army declared him a deserter when he failed up to serve during World War I.

**  The ship's lookouts relied on their eyesight alone as the ship's second officer was replaced at the last minute and forgot to hand over the key to unlock the locker where the binoculars were stored.  In 2010, that key was auctioned for $130,000.

**  One of the richest men in the world, if not the richest, died in the wreck.  John Jacob Astor's worth was $3.5 billion in today's dollars.  His body was one of the ones recovered and had $60,000 on his pocket.

**  One of the ship's cooks survived at least two hours in the frigid North Atlantic waters thanks to copious amounts of whiskey he had drunk.

**  Most people died of hypothermia within 15 minutes.

**  The 1997 movie cost more to produce than what it cost to build the Titanic.

**  Despite what eyewitnesses said, it wasn't until the wreck was found that it was officially confirmed that the ship had split in two pieces.

**  The wreck could vanish by 2030.  Scientists believe bacteria will eat it away by then.

And, Who Says Drinking Is Bad for You?  --Cooter