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Time of India
24-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Titanic reimagined: Stunning digital model reveals secrets of its final hours
Over a century after the Titanic sank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, we're still uncovering pieces of its story. And now, thanks to some jaw-dropping tech, we're closer than ever to understanding what really happened during those final, chaotic hours. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A new digital reconstruction built using over 700,000 underwater images has created the most detailed 3D model of the Titanic wreck to date. And trust us, it's changing everything we thought we knew. But first, let's rewind. A ship meant to be unsinkable The RMS Titanic wasn't just any ship. When it launched in April 1912, it was the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world. Stretching over 882 feet long and weighing more than 46,000 tons, the Titanic was the pride of the White Star Line and a floating symbol of early 20th-century innovation and opulence. She set sail from Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage to New York City on April 10, 1912, carrying more than 2,200 passengers and crew. Among them were some of the wealthiest people of the time, as well as hundreds of immigrants hoping for a better life in America. Tragically, they never made it. Four days into the voyage, just before midnight on April 14, the Titanic struck an iceberg. In less than three hours, the "unsinkable" ship slipped beneath the surface, taking more than 1,500 lives with it. The disaster became one of the most infamous maritime tragedies in history and its story continues to haunt and fascinate us to this day. A new look at an old tragedy Now, in 2025, a revolutionary 3D digital model has brought the Titanic back to life—virtually, at least. Created using deep-sea scans captured by submersible robots, this full-scale replica gives us an incredibly detailed look at the shipwreck as it rests on the ocean floor, nearly 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) below the surface. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now What's so special about this model? Well, for starters, it reveals details we've never seen before. Unlike previous dives that only showed parts of the wreck, this is the first time we're seeing the entire site in such crisp, high-resolution clarity. Think of it as the difference between a blurry photo and a 4K video—you can spot every crack, tear, and dent. The real reason the Titanic sank? Tiny holes, big trouble One of the biggest revelations from the scan is just how the ship actually sank. For years, many believed that the iceberg tore a massive gash in the side of the Titanic. Turns out, the truth might be even more shocking. The digital model shows that the iceberg didn't rip a huge hole—it caused a series of small punctures, each only about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, across six of the ship's supposedly watertight compartments. While those holes might seem minor, together they overwhelmed the Titanic's safety systems. Basically, it was death by a thousand cuts. Engineers who fought to the end The model also confirms something long rumored: some of the ship's boilers kept running as it sank. An open steam valve found on the wreck suggests that Titanic's engineers continued pumping steam into the ship's electrical systems—even as water poured in. Why? To keep the lights on. It's believed these crew members stayed at their posts to buy time for others to escape, helping passengers find their way to lifeboats in the dark early hours of the morning. Their bravery likely saved many lives. A violent break, not a clean split Remember in the movies when the Titanic breaks in half in one dramatic moment? That part wasn't far off—but it was messier than we thought. The scan reveals that the ship's stern was completely mangled as it twisted and spiraled to the ocean floor, landing over 600 meters from the bow. This violent break caused more destruction than previously believed and helps explain the chaotic wreck site that divers have explored for decades.
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Heartbreak Pier: Where a million souls took their last steps on Irish soil
Emigration. A word so ingrained in the Irish psyche, it carries as many complex emotions in 2018 as it did a hundred years ago. Regardless of whether the decision to quit 'the Auld Sod' was based on opportunity or compulsion, its effects upon those left behind remains one of our most vivid cultural landmarks with deep roots in every county across the nation. Between 1848 and 1950, it is estimated that 6 million adults and children emigrated from Ireland. Crowds waiting to embark the Titanic in Cobh, then called Queenstown, in 2012. An image from the Fr FM Browne SJ Collection More than 2.5 million of those boarded ships in Cobh, or Queenstown as it was known until 1920, making it the single most important port of emigration. Amongst those multitudes, over 1 million took their final steps from Irish soil across the gangplanks of 'Heartbreak Pier' — the jetty to an unknown New World trodden with the heavy hearts of those who would never return. Due to its association with the misery of forced departure, the pier became known locally for the heartache of a final goodbye to family and home. 'There was no such thing as a return ticket in the 1890s and early 1900s, every ticket was one-way,' recalled a shipping agent of the time. 'The man who emigrated was a 'two pence a day' man — the average wage for a labourer back then. They rode to Cobh on donkeys and ponies and were greeted there by opportunists who knew the animals were up for grabs on the quaysides.' On April 11, 1912, the Titanic called to the port of Queenstown (now Cobh), Co. Cork on her maiden voyage to New York. The picture shows some of the passengers strolling on the top deck as the liner was anchored just outside the mouth of Cork Harbour. A few days later, she sank after hitting an iceberg and most of those on board were killed. It's not known if those in the picture survived or not. Ref 114/115. Picture: Thomas Barker, Cork Examiner photographer With a history that must surely make it one of the most famous slipways in Ireland, if not the world, Heartbreak Pier is set for significant investment as part of an ambitious re-development plan to protect and conserve its status as a potentially major tourist attraction. Located adjacent to the iconic White Star Line building in Cobh, the pier had fallen into severe disrepair over the last number of decades, a victim of erosion, storm damage and the general weathering of time. 'The pier as a structure is a significant piece of history,' said Gillen Joyce, proprietor of the Titanic Experience. 'Having transformed the White Star Line building, and seen firsthand the impact of the site on visitors as well as the region, we felt passionately about saving 'Heartbreak Pier' and ensuring that it would not be lost to the elements.' The pier will add significantly to Cobh's existing attractions, providing another tangible landmark amongst the already popular themes of emigration and its vocative connection to the RMS Titanic. Key to the redevelopment is a new structure which interacts with the old pier, and where visitors can walk upon that same piece of 'the old country' as did the 1 million souls across the decades of Irish history. Amongst the 1 million who crossed the epochal structure, the 123 who were passengers on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic have garnered much curiosity in recent years. At its final port of call at Queenstown on April 11th, the last passengers to board the ship for its intended journey to New York crossed the timbers of Heartbreak Pier on a journey where only 44 of the 123 would eventually survive. A photo taken on the deck of the Titanic when it was bearthed in Cobh. Picture: Thomas Barker, Irish Examiner Three travelled first class, seven in second and the remainder in third — or steerage. Having anchored at the entrance to Cork harbour to transfer and collect passengers, Titanic set sail on what became one of the most tragic of maritime legends. The ship struck an iceberg on the night of April 14th, and foundered with the loss of over 1,500 passengers early on the following morning.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On This Day, April 16: MLK Jr. writes 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'
April 16 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1862, the U.S. Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. In 2005, the city officially began observing the date as Emancipation Day. In 1912, as crowds gathered outside its New York City offices, the White Star Line denied that it was withholding information on the sinking of RMS Titanic. In 1947, a fire aboard the French freighter Grandcamp in the Texas City, Texas, port on Galveston Bay ignited ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials in the ship's hold, causing a massive blast that destroyed much of the city and killed nearly 600 people. In 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while imprisoned in Alabama for protesting segregation. It was published May 19, 1963. In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off on an 11-day moon mission with three astronauts aboard. In 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian helped in his first assisted suicide. In December, he was charged with murder for the death of a woman with Alzheimer's disease, who died using his so-called suicide machine in June. In 1991, the first Jewish settlement under the Israeli government opened in the occupied territories, defying a U.S. request to stop settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 1999, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky announced his retirement from the NHL after 21 years. He was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in November without having to go through the usual three-year waiting period. In 2002, Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok and members of his government resigned after a report faulted them, along with the United Nations, for failing to prevent the 1995 massacre of 7,500 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica, Bosnia. In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech, went on a campus shooting rampage, killing 32 people before killing himself. In 2011, a vicious rash of tornadoes tore through 14 U.S. states over three days, leaving more than 40 people dead and many others homeless. In 2018, Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for music for his album Damn. In 2021, Raul Castro, brother of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, announced he was stepping down as head of Cuba's Communist Party. In 2024, one of Denmark's oldest buildings, the 400-year-old stock exchange the Børsen, went up in flames while under renovation.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Donald Trump tells ‘Apprentice' Bill Rancic — ‘You're hired'
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 15, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 88 degrees (2002) Low temperature: 25 degrees (1943) Precipitation: 1.74 inches (1884) Snowfall: 1.7 inches (2020) 1912: Who was on board and who survived? That's what was being asked — for days — after the White Star Line's famous steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. News of the ocean liner's peril was carved into a late, extra edition of the Tribune on April 15, 1912, and much of the account was devoted to the prominent people aboard. They included Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway and a Rock Island, Ill., native; Francis Millet, an artist who was the decorations director for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893; and William T. Stead, English journalist and reformer who wrote 'If Christ Came to Chicago.' A Titanic survivor lived and died in Chicago's Chinatown — and inspired one of the 1997 movie's iconic scenes The Tribune reported several passengers as Chicagoans: Ida Hippach and her 15-year-old daughter, Jean, and Ervin Lewy, a jeweler. The Hippaches survived; Lewy did not. (Fate at other times was unkind to the Hippaches. In 1903, two young sons, Robert and Archie, died in the horrific Iroquois Theater fire. Two years after the Titanic disaster, the third son died in an automobile accident. And in 1915, Jean was the passenger in a car crash that killed an 8-year-old boy.) The agony of not knowing was heartbreakingly illustrated by the plight of Oscar Johnson, of St. Charles. A brief on page 2 of April 17's newspaper reported how his wife, two children and his two sisters were not among those saved. But the following day, under the headline, 'Merchant faints from joy,' the Tribune reported that the 32-year-old businessman 'fell over in a dead faint which lasted half an hour' when he received word that all five were rescued. 1977: A highly anticipated exhibit of items from King Tutankhamun's tomb opened at the Field Museum. Unlike his possessions, King Tut didn't make the trip to Chicago — his mummy remained in the Valley of the Kings outside Luxor, Egypt. A discotheque employee and his sister were first in line at 5 a.m. For the next four months, visitors waited outside in the rain, heat and wind to enter the museum. Only a power outage on the Fourth of July kept visitors away. More than 1.3 million people — at a rate of more than 1,000 per hour — viewed the exhibit. 2004: In the finale to the first edition of the NBC reality show 'The Apprentice,' Donald Trump 'hired' Chicago businessman and Loyola University graduate Bill Rancic over Kwame Jackson during a segment that was telecast live. As part of his prize, Rancic received a $250,000 salary and a job running one part of Trump's corporation. Trump offered him the chance to stay in Chicago and oversee the building of the new Trump International Hotel and Tower and Rancic took it. 'It's a coincidence that Bill comes from Chicago, and I have a big project going there,' Trump said. 'It just worked out. He's going to be outstanding.' As for Rancic's choice of the Chicago building project over a job in California, he told the Tribune: 'Chicago is where I'm from, and to me it's the best city in the world.' Rancic stopped working for the future president before Trump Tower was completed in 2009. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Donald Trump tells ‘Apprentice' Bill Rancic — ‘You're hired'
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 15, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1912: Who was on board and who survived? That's what was being asked — for days — after the White Star Line's famous steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. News of the ocean liner's peril was carved into a late, extra edition of the Tribune on April 15, 1912, and much of the account was devoted to the prominent people aboard. They included Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway and a Rock Island, Ill., native; Francis Millet, an artist who was the decorations director for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893; and William T. Stead, English journalist and reformer who wrote 'If Christ Came to Chicago.' A Titanic survivor lived and died in Chicago's Chinatown — and inspired one of the 1997 movie's iconic scenes The Tribune reported several passengers as Chicagoans: Ida Hippach and her 15-year-old daughter, Jean, and Ervin Lewy, a jeweler. The Hippaches survived; Lewy did not. (Fate at other times was unkind to the Hippaches. In 1903, two young sons, Robert and Archie, died in the horrific Iroquois Theater fire. Two years after the Titanic disaster, the third son died in an automobile accident. And in 1915, Jean was the passenger in a car crash that killed an 8-year-old boy.) The agony of not knowing was heartbreakingly illustrated by the plight of Oscar Johnson, of St. Charles. A brief on page 2 of April 17's newspaper reported how his wife, two children and his two sisters were not among those saved. But the following day, under the headline, 'Merchant faints from joy,' the Tribune reported that the 32-year-old businessman 'fell over in a dead faint which lasted half an hour' when he received word that all five were rescued. 1977: A highly anticipated exhibit of items from King Tutankhamun's tomb opened at the Field Museum. Unlike his possessions, King Tut didn't make the trip to Chicago — his mummy remained in the Valley of the Kings outside Luxor, Egypt. A discotheque employee and his sister were first in line at 5 a.m. For the next four months, visitors waited outside in the rain, heat and wind to enter the museum. Only a power outage on the Fourth of July kept visitors away. More than 1.3 million people — at a rate of more than 1,000 per hour — viewed the exhibit. 2004: In the finale to the first edition of the NBC reality show 'The Apprentice,' Donald Trump 'hired' Chicago businessman and Loyola University graduate Bill Rancic over Kwame Jackson during a segment that was telecast live. As part of his prize, Rancic received a $250,000 salary and a job running one part of Trump's corporation. Trump offered him the chance to stay in Chicago and oversee the building of the new Trump International Hotel and Tower and Rancic took it. 'It's a coincidence that Bill comes from Chicago, and I have a big project going there,' Trump said. 'It just worked out. He's going to be outstanding.' As for Rancic's choice of the Chicago building project over a job in California, he told the Tribune: 'Chicago is where I'm from, and to me it's the best city in the world.' Rancic stopped working for the future president before Trump Tower was completed in 2009. Want more vintage Chicago?
