Titanic trivia

The last photograph of the Titanic was taken by Father Brown from the Queenstown (now Cobh) pier in County Cork. He had gotten off the ship at Cobh but was asked to stay on and go to America. However, his superiors would not allow him to. Father Brown became a famous photographer during WWI and the years after.

Two dogs survived the sinking of Titanic. They were on the early lifeboats which carried so few people that no one objected. Miss Margaret Hays of New York had her Pomeranian with her in lifeboat No. 7. Henry Sleeper Harper of the Harper publishing family had his Pekinese, Sun Yat Sen with him on lifeboat No. 3.

A pet pig escaped with its owner on one of the lifeboats.

As the ship was about to sink, the dogs who were in kennels were released. Most of them drowned. But one dog, a Newfoundlander named Rigel, swam with the lifeboats in the icy water for three hours. As the Carpathia was headed right toward one of the lifeboats, the people on it were too weak and hypothermic to shout. But Rigel was still strong enough to bark. He was heard by Captain Rostron who ordered that the ship be stopped. Rigel then swam in front of the lifeboat, leading it to the gangway on the starboard side. Rigel belonged to the first officer of the Titanic who went down with the ship. Jonas Brigg, a sailor on the Carpathia adopted him. He was given hero status and did not seem to have any ill effects from his time in the water.

It is not true that 47 elephants and dancing bears survived the sinking of the Titanic and got jobs later in New York City.

It is estimated that about 2,000 rats went down with the ship.

The Titanic Movie

The movie, Titanic, cost about $200 million to make. To rebuild the ship today would cost $123 million.

Jack Dawson says that he learned seamanship on Lake Wissota near his home close to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. But Lake Wissota was not there until 1917. That was five years after the sinking.

The verses they sing at the church service were not added until about 1937.

When Jack walks past French doors to meet Rose and her family for dinner, the reflection of a cameraman can be seen on the glass.

The paintings Rose has with her in the movie were not on the Titanic. They were Monet's Water Lilies and Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

Molly Brown did not go by Molly until after she was rescued.

Captain Smith wears contact lenses.

When he is drawing Rose's picture, Jack is left handed. But he is right handed for the rest of the movie. James Cameron drew the picture.

A man in a yellow shirt with a black moustache fell off the boat. A few minutes later the same man is playing the violin with two other men.