DISCOVERING
THE
TITANIC
THE PEOPLE
Meet a few passengers of the Titanic.
The "Unsinkable" Molly Brown
First Class Passenger
Margaret Tobin Brown, 45, grew up poor in Hannibal, Missouri. She became wealthy when her husband discovered gold while working as a mining engineer in Leadville, Colorado.
In 1912, Margaret was traveling in Europe with the Astors. She received word that her grandson was sick. Margaret booked a ticket on the first ship home, which was the Titanic.
While the ship was sinking, Molly helped other women and children get safely onto the lifeboats. When her lifeboat was rescued, she raised money for the poorer people on the ship. After returning home to America, she continued helping the less fortunate by raising working to improve working conditions in factories.
Lady Duff Gordon:
First Class Passenger
Lady Duff Gordon, 48, was a famous British fashion designer with businesses in London, Chicago, and New York. She and her husband were rescued in a lifeboat, which only had 12 people in it (even though it could carry up to 40).
Rumors were that Lady Duff Gordon's husband, Cosmo, paid the crew not to return to the wreckage for fear that the lifeboat would become overcrowded.
Benjamin Guggenheim
First Class Passenger
Benjamin Guggenheim, 46, was one of seven children born into the wealthy Guggenheim family. Finding their fortune in mining, Guggenheim was one of the wealthiest men aboard the Titanic.
The night of the sinking, Benjamin and his assistant helped women and children get onto lifeboats, all while dressed in their finest clothes. The businessmen later remarked, "We've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."
William Thomas Stead:
First Class Passenger
William Thomas Stead, 62, was an investigative reporter in England. He was traveling to America to attend a peace conference at the request of President William H. Taft.
In 1886, Stead wrote an article called, "How the Mail Steamer Went Down in the Mid-Atlantic, by a Survivor." It was a fictional story about two ships colliding, resulting in high loss of life due to the lack of lifeboats. Stead wrote, "This is exactly what might take place and will take place if liners are sent to sea short of boats." He did not survive the sinking.
Dorothy Gibson:
First Class Passenger
Dorothy Gibson, 22, was an American silent film star and one of the highest paid movie actresses in the world when she retired. One of the most famous roles was in the film, Survived from the Titanic, based on her own experiences during the shipwreck. Released just one month after the sinking, it was one of the first movies about the disaster.
John Jacob Astor, IV:
First Class Passenger
John Jacob Astor IV, 47, was a member of the wealthy Astor business family. He was thought to be the richest man on the Titanic. He was traveling to America with his new wife after their honeymoon.
On the night of the sinking, he helped get his wife on board a lifeboat and she survived. John, however, did not. His body was later found covered in soot.
Biographies sourced from Time Newsfeed