No one is strange of the Titanic catastrophe, which becomes more famous after the success of James Cameron’s 1997 movie. However, little did you know that many characters in the film were based on real-life passengers on the ship. Each of them has their own experience during the disaster, and some perished with the ship while others survived. Despite the differences, it's worthwhile to have a look at these people and dig deeper into their stories.
Below are 15 real-life passengers who actually experienced one of the most memorable catastrophes in history. Scroll down and figure it out!
#1 The Second Mate Survived The Titanic And Later Insisted On Improvements Of Passenger Ships
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
The second mate on the Titanic, Charles Lightoller (played by Jonathan Phillips) helped 29 other men balance an overturned foldable boat. He shared his knowledge to save lives and continued to devote himself to improving the quality of passenger ships after the tragedy.
#2 Wallace Hartley And The Orchestra Truly Played To Calm The Passengers While The Ship Was Sinking
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Wallace Hartley (played by Jonathan Evans-Jones) is the orchestra leader on the ship who played music with other musicians until his last breath. All the musicians stayed on the ship to calm the passengers down and lost their lives.
#3 Close To 1,500 People Died That Night, Including The Captain And Many Of The Crew
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Titanic's 62-year-old captain, Edward Smith (played by Bernard Hill), was one of the most reliable captains of White Star Line (the company that launched the Titanic) with 40 years of experience. Edward did everything to assist the petrified passengers and the crew, even sacrificing his own life.
#4 A Lady Escaped In One Of The First Lifeboats Because They Still Believed The Ship Wouldn't Fully Sink
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
The fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon (played by Rosalind Ayres) and her husband Cosmo Duff-Gordon boarded the first of the lifeboats before the panic occurred. Therefore, both of them survived the sinking.
#5 Despite The Facts, The Movie Version Created A Villain Out Of The Director Of The Titanic's Company
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
The chairman and director of the White Star Line Steamship Company, Joseph Bruce Ismay (played by Jonathan Hyde), was a true villain in the movie. Though he tried to help other victims during the catastrophe and survived, he couldn't gain his reputation back as he had reduced the number of lifeboats from 48 to 16 before the journey.
#6 James Cameron's Titanic Drew Inspiration From Real Life Passengers, Such As The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation,Wikimedia Commons
Margaret Brown (played by Kathy Bates), or The Unsinkable Molly Brown, was an enthusiastic American socialite, philanthropist, and activist. In the real tragedy, she tried her best to save passengers from the sinking ship and raised funds to support the disaster victims later on. All her hard work has earned her the title of Order of the Legion of Honor.
#7 The Elderly On-Screen Couple Was Based On An Equally Loving Real-Life Marriage
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Ida (played by Elsa Raven) and Isidore Strauss (played by Lew Palter) are a loving real-life couple. Ida touched people's hearts with the saying "We have lived together for so many years. Where you are, there I am," when Isidore wanted her to save herself.
#8 A Silver Medalist In Fencing Who Survived Had To Live With A Rumor That He Broke The "Women And Children First" Rule
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Cosmo Duff-Gordon (played by Martin Jarvis), an Olympic silver medalist in fencing had to live with the rumor of violating the "women and children first" rule many years after the tragedy. Fortunately, he was cleared of this rumor later on.
#9 The Chief Officer Of The Titanic, Like Many Of The Crew, Perished With The Ship
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Henry Wilde (played by Mark Lindsay Chapman) had served on many ships before taking the role of chief officer on the Titanic. Though he had a bright career, he lost his life in the disaster.
#10 A Pregnant First-Class Passenger Survived The Sinking, But Lost Her Husband
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Though the pregnant passenger Madeleine Force (played by Charlotte Chatton) and her baby survived the sinking, she lost her loving husband, John Jacob Astor IV, forever. The man ensured his wife was safe on the lifeboats, but he didn't make it to the end.
#11 Colonel Gracie Wrote A Book About His Experience, Which Is An Important Source Of Information On The Titanic's Sinking
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
After striving to save his fellow passengers on the ship and successfully survive, Colonel Archibald Gracie IV (played by Bernard Fox) then revealed his story in a book, which was a valuable source of information for historians and researchers. The man was still obsessed with the Titanic's catastrophe until his last moments when he murmured “We have to put them on boats. We have to put them all on boats."
#12 Dramatization In The Movie May Have Ruined The First Mate's Reputation If His Family Hadn't Protested
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
William Murdoch (played by Ewan Stewart), the first mate on the ship did his best to avoid the collision with the iceberg, though his efforts were not successful. That's why his family was furious at the filmmakers when he appeared in the movie as a terrible man who received a bribe and shot terrified people. The producer had to apologize to his family personally and made a donation to the Murdoch Charity Prize.
#13 During The Disaster, A Countess Didn't Shy Away From Helping Third-Class Passengers
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
Noël Leslie (played by Rochelle Rose), Countess of Rothes, was a first-class passenger. When she got to one of the lifeboats, she assisted other passengers, even the third-class ones. Unfortunately, she was last seen onboard Carpathia.
#14 One Of The Richest People In The World Died Onboard The Titanic
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
The American real estate developer John Jacob Astor IV (played by Eric Braeden) was probably the richest person in the world. He lost his life in the disaster but had his body recovered thanks to the initials sewn into his jacket.
#15 An Overworked Radio Operator Missed The Warnings Of The Iceberg, But Stayed To Broadcast The Distress Signal Till The End
Source: Titanic / Paramount Pictures Corporation, Wikipedia Commons
The radio operator on the Titanic, John "Jack" Phillips (played by Gregory Cooke), had failed to notice the warnings about the icebergs from nearby trips. When the disaster occurred, he had stayed onboard to broadcast the distress signal and didn't make it to the lifeboats.
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