Curious About The Titanic

PODCAST 134: CURIOUS ABOUT THE TITANIC
RELEASE DATE:  APRIL 25TH, 2021

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO GO BACK IN TIME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO.  SO, IT’S TIME TO DUST OFF YOUR TIME MACHINES SO WE CAN TRAVEL ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE YEAR 1912, WHICH WAS 109 YEARS AGO.  

O:  DOUBLE MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, HELLO FROM CEDAR GROVE, NEW JERSEY.  MY NAME IS ADELYN.  I AM 9 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE A 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER NAMED ARCHIE.  WE LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST.  MY DAD PLAYS IT WHILE WE DO LAUNDRY.  BELIEVE ME, IT MAKES US WANT TO DO LAUNDRY!  I WANT TO MAKE A SUGGESTION FOR YOU TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT THE TITANIC.  I HAVE READ BOOKS ON IT AND I HOPE TO LEARN MORE.  WE HOPE YOU USE IT IN AN EPISODE!”

O:  WOW, THAT WAS A FANTASTIC E-MAIL.  LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE TITANIC IS AN AWESOME IDEA.

D:  DID YOU CATCH WHAT ELSE ADELYN TOLD US IN THAT E-MAIL?

O:  SURE, SHE HAS A LITTLE BROTHER NAMED ARCHIE.

D:  YES, SHE DID SAY THAT.  WHAT I MEANT, THOUGH, WAS THAT SHE ALSO TOLD US THAT SHE DOES THE LAUNDRY WITH HER LITTLE BROTHER.  

O:  DON’T GET ANY IDEAS, DADDY.

D:  ALRIGHT.  OUR NEXT E-MAIL COMES FROM ADDISON IN TENNESSEE.  FIRST, SHE REACHED OUT TO ASK US A QUESTION ABOUT EPISODE 89, CURIOUS ABOUT ANTARCTICA.  SHE SAID “HI, MY NAME IS ADDISON.  ME AND MY FRIEND ZOE HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ON YOUR EPISODE ON ANTARCTICA.  YOU SAID THAT NO ONE IS A RESIDENT THERE, YET THERE WOULD NEED TO BE A MARKET TO BUY FOOD.  I AM WONDERING HOW DO THEY GET FOOD, WHEN PEOPLE ONLY GO THERE TO STUDY.  PLEASE RESPOND.”

O:  SO, OF COURSE WE RESPONDED.  WE RESPOND TO EVERY SINGLE E-MAIL WE GET.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  ADDISON WANTED TO KNOW HOW FOOD GETS TO ANTARCTICA FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE TO STUDY THE ICY CONTINENT.  WE RESPONDED BY LETTING HER KNOW THAT RESEARCHERS IN ANTARCTICA ACTUALLY EAT A DIET SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO IN OUR HOMES.  FRESH FOODS LIKE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE OFTEN HARD TO GET IN ANTARCTICA.  MUCH OF WHAT THEY EAT ARRIVES AT THEIR BASE BY BOATS IN SHIPMENTS THAT SOMETIMES HAPPEN ONLY ONCE A YEAR.  WITH GOOD PLANNING AND PREPARATION, THEY ARE ABLE TO PLAN AND PREPARE THEIR MEALS CAREFULLY AND BE WELL FED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  ADDISON WAS VERY EXCITED TO GET A REPLY FROM US.  HERE IS WHAT SHE WROTE BACK.

O:  “THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO!  OMG OMG OMG, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU GUYS GOT MY E-MAIL.  OMG, IT IS SUCH A BIG DEAL.  OMG, I AM SPEECHLESS.  AAAAAAAA!  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND IT GETS ME EXCITED ABOUT LEARNING.  I WOKE MY NANA LAST NIGHT TO TELL HER A FACT I LEARNED.”

D:  IT WAS SO NICE GETTING THAT FEEDBACK FROM ADDISON.  LATER THAT DAY, SHE SENT US ANOTHER E-MAIL THAT SAID “HI AGAIN, I JUST GOT DONE WATCHING THE TITANIC AND I LOVE THAT MOVIE.  I WISH I KNEW MORE.  CAN YOU DO AN EPISODE ON THE TITANIC AND HELP ME UNDERSTAND.  THAT WOULD BE GREAT.”

O:  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT THE TITANIC FOR ADELYN, ARCHIE, AND ADDISON.  I WONDER IF ALL PEOPLE THAT HAVE NAMES BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER “A” ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE TITANIC.

D:  MAYBE, THAT’S AN INTERESTING THOUGHT.  I’M REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT THE TITANIC MYSELF.  I REMEMBER ACTUALLY DOING A SCHOOL PROJECT MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, WHEN I TOLD THE STORY OF THE TITANIC TO MY CLASS.  THE TITANIC WAS A SHIP THAT WAS BUILT OVER 100 YEARS AGO, AND AT THE TIME IT WAS BUILT, IT WAS THE LARGEST SHIP IN THE WORLD.  ACCORDING TO A RECENT LIST OF THE TOP 10 HISTORIC SHIPS OF ALL TIME ACCORDING TO MARINE INSIGHT, THE TITANIC IS THE MOST FAMOUS SHIP IN HISTORY.  LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TITANIC AND WHY IT’S SUCH A FAMOUS AND FASCINATING STORY.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW DOES THE TITANIC COMPARE IN SIZE TO THE BIGGEST CRUISE SHIP TODAY?

D:  THE BIGGEST CRUISE SHIP TODAY IS CALLED SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS.  DO YOU THINK IT IS BIGGER OR SMALLER THAN THE TITANIC?  ALSO, HOW MUCH BIGGER OR SMALLER DO YOU THINK IT IS?           

O:  THE DESIGN FOR THE TITANIC WAS APPROVED IN 1908.

D:  IT WAS DESIGNED BY A BRITISH SHIPPING COMPANY CALLED WHITE STAR LINE.  AT THE TIME, A BIG COMPETITOR FOR WHITE STAR LINE WAS CALLED CUNARD (Q-NARD).  CUNARD WAS MAKING THE FASTEST PASSENGER SHIPS AROUND SO SPEED WAS THEIR FOCUS.  WELL, THE FOLKS AT WHITE STAR LINE FIGURED THAT THEY COULDN’T COMPETE WITH CUNARD ON SPEED, SO THEY FOCUSED ON SIZE AND LUXARY.            

O:  THE WORD TITANIC MEANS HAVING GREAT MAGNITUDE, FORCE, OR POWER.

D:  WHAT A STRONG WORD FOR A STRONG SHIP.  THE BUILDING OF THE TITANIC BEGAN ON MARCH 31ST OF 1909 AND ENDED EXACTLY 3 YEARS LATER ON MARCH 31ST OF 1912.  IT TOOK 3 FULL YEARS TO BUILD THE TITANIC.

O:  IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SHIP.  PEOPLE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE FIRST TRIP IT WOULD TAKE.

D:  THE FIRST TRIP, CALLED THE MAIDEN VOYAGE, WAS SET TO BEGIN ON APRIL 10TH, LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AFTER THE BUILDING OF THE SHIP WAS COMPLETED, LEAVING FROM SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.     

O:  IT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE 137 HOURS TO REACH IT’S FINAL DESTINATION OF NEW YORK.  

D:  IT NEVER MADE IT TO NEW YORK.  BEFORE WE LEARN WHY IT NEVER COMPLETED IT’S TRIP, LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL SHIP.

O:  IT WAS 883 FEET LONG AND 104 FEET TALL.  

D:  THAT’S ALMOST AS LONG AS 3 FOOTBALL FIELDS.  IT ALSO HAD 10 LEVELS.  IT WAS A MASSIVE SHIP.  AT THE TIME, IT WAS THE LARGEST SHIP IN THE WORLD.  IT LOOKED SO STRONG AND MIGHTY, MANY PEOPLE REFERRED TO THE TITANIC AS UNSINKABLE.  

O:  IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE VERY SAFE.

D:  IT HAD A FEW SAFETY FEATURES.  FOR STARTERS, THE SHIP WAS MADE FROM 2 LAYERS OF STEEL.  THERE WERE ALSO 16 WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTS THAT COULD BE SEALED OFF TO KEEP THE SHIP FROM SINKING IF WATER GOT INTO THE SHIP.    

O:  THEY ALSO HAD A CAPTAIN WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.  HIS NAME WAS CAPTAIN EDWARD J. SMITH.

D:  CAPTAIN SMITH HAD 43 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AT SEA.  THE TITANIC LOOKED MAGNIFICENT.  IT HAD A TELEPHONE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS ELECTRIC LIGHTS IN EACH ROOM, BOTH WHICH WERE BIG LUXURIES AT THE TIME.  

O:  IT ALSO HAD 4 ELEVATORS, 2 BARBER SHOPS, A GYM, 2 LIBRARIES, A HEATED SWIMMING POOL, AND A SQUASH COURT.  

D:  AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, A TICKET FOR THE FIRST VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC WAS VERY EXPENSIVE.  THE MOST EXPENSIVE TICKETS WERE SOLD FOR $4,700, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT $57,000 TODAY.  LOTS OF FAMOUS AND WEALTHY PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD THE TITANIC WHEN IT SET SAIL.  THE OWNER OF THE SHIP, J.P. MORGAN, WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE TITANIC, BUT DECIDED TO CANCEL AT THE LAST MINUTE.      

O:  3,500 PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO FIT ON THE TITANIC, BUT FEWER THAN THAT WERE THERE FOR THE MAIDEN VOYAGE.

D:  ABOUT 2,200 PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD WHEN THE TITANIC LEFT SOUTHAMPTON.  ABOUT 1/3 OF THOSE ON BOARD WERE PART OF THE CREW.  LOTS OF PEOPLE MEANS LOTS OF FOOD.  THE TITANIC CARRIED 75,000 POUNDS OF MEAT, 1,000 LOAVES OF BREAD, 40,000 EGGS,10,000 POUNDS OF SUGAR, AND A LOT MORE TO FEED THE PEOPLE ON BOARD.     

O:  THINGS WERE GOING WELL UNTIL THE TITANIC STRUCK AN ICEBERG ON THE NIGHT OF APRIL 14TH.  

D:  EARLIER THAT DAY, THE CREW OF THE TITANIC RECEIVED 6 WARNINGS ABOUT ICEBERGS.  UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE IGNORED BY THE OPERATOR, WHO WAS TOO BUSY TRANSMITTING MESSAGES FOR THE PASSENGERS TO WORRY ABOUT ICEBERGS.  

O:  THE CONDITIONS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE CREW TO SEE AHEAD OF THE SHIP.

D:  IT WAS DARK OUT AT 11:40 P.M., JUST 20 MINUTES FROM MIDNIGHT.  IT WAS A MOONLESS NIGHT AND THE WATER WAS VERY STILL.  
O:  THE TITANIC WAS TRAVELING AT A VERY FAST SPEED.  

D:  THE MAX SPEED WAS 23 KNOTS, AND THE TITANIC WAS TRAVELING JUST SHY OF THAT AT 22.5 KNOTS.  JUST BEFORE HITTING THE ICEBERG, A LOOKOUT SPOTTED THE ICEBERG AHEAD.        
THAT’S WHEN A BAD DECISION WAS MADE.

O:  THE CAPTAIN MADE AN ORDER TO REVERSE THE ENGINES TO SLOW THE TITANIC DOWN AND TO TURN THE TITANIC OUT OF THE WAY OF THE ICEBERG.

D:  THE PROBLEM WITH TURNING SOMETHING AS LARGE AS THE TITANIC IS THAT IT CAN’T TURN AS SHARPLY IF IT IS MOVING SLOWLY.  IT SLOWED DOWN AND STARTED TO TURN, BUT WASN’T ABLE TO AVOID THE ICEBERG.

O:  IF THE TITANIC HAD MAINTAINED IT’S SPEED AND TURNED, IT’S LIKELY THAT IT WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE ICEBERG.  

D:  THE ICEBERG PIERCED A HOLE INTO THE HULL OF THE TITANIC THAT WAS OVER 220 FEET LONG.  A SMALL PART OF THAT HOLE, JUST ABOUT THE SIZE OF A REFRIGERATOR, IS WHAT ALLOWED WATER TO ENTER THE TITANIC.  DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE 16 WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTS IN THE TITANIC THAT WERE THERE FOR SAFETY?  WELL, THE TITANIC COULD HAVE AVOIDED SINKING IF 4 OR LESS OF THOSE COMPARTMENTS FLOODED.  AFTER STRIKING THE ICEBERG, 5 COMPARTMENTS FLOODED.

O:  THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH LIFEBOATS ON BOARD FOR ALL OF THE PASSENGERS. 

D:  THE LAW ONLY REQUIRED A SHIP AS BIG AS THE TITANIC TO HAVE 962 LIFEBOAT SEATS.  THE TITANIC MET THAT REQUIREMENT AND THEN SOME, WITH 1,178 LIFEBOAT SEATS.  THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT THERE WERE MORE THAN 2,200 PEOPLE ON THE TITANIC THAT NIGHT, SO THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT HALF OF THE LIFEBOATS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NEEDED FOR EVERYONE.

O:  AND THE LIFEBOATS WERE NOT EVEN USED CORRECTLY.

D:  AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE PEOPLE ON BOARD THE TITANIC WERE PANICKING.  MANY PEOPLE WERE NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE BEST USE OF LIFEBOATS.  TODAY, IF YOU BOARD A CRUISE SHIP, YOU WILL HAVE TO ATTEND WHAT’S CALLED A MUSTER DRILL.  A MUSTER DRILL TEACHES EVERYONE ON BOARD WHAT TO DO IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.  BACK IN 1912, THIS WASN’T NECESSARY.  IN A PANIC, MANY OF THE LIFEBOATS LEFT THE TITANIC ABOUT HALF FULL.  OF THE 1,178 LIFEBOAT SEATS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED, 472 OF THEM WERE NOT USED.  

O:  ABOUT 1,500 PEOPLE DIDN’T SURVIVE THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC THAT NIGHT.  

D:  THE TEMPERATURE OF THE OCEAN WATER THAT NIGHT WAS 28 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, OR NEGATIVE 2 DEGREES CELSIUS, WHICH WAS VERY COLD, EVEN FOR MID-APRIL.  IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SURVIVE IN WATER THAT COLD FOR LONG.    

O:  THE CREW OF THE TITANIC SENT SIGNALS FOR HELP.

D:  THE RMS CARPATHIA WAS THE FIRST SHIP TO RESPOND TO THE DISTRESS CALL, BUT IT WAS 58 MILES AWAY, AND IT DIDN’T ARRIVE ON THE SCENE UNTIL ABOUT 4 A.M.  THE CARPATHIA WELCOMED SURVIVORS OF THE TITANIC ON BOARD.  AT 9:30 A.M. ON APRIL 18TH, THE CARPATHIA ARRIVED IN NEW YORK.  

O:  WHAT HAPPENED ON THE TITANIC WAS A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.  

D:  AND WHAT MAKES IT WORSE IS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AVOIDABLE.  PERHAPS IF THE OPERATOR DIDN’T IGNORE THE ICEBERG WARNINGS, IF THEY HAD DECIDED TO MAINTAIN SPEED INSTEAD OF SLOWING THE SHIP DOWN WHEN TRYING TO AVOID THE ICEBERG, IF THEY HAD BEEN TRAVELING SLOWER IN GENERAL, IF THERE WERE ENOUGH LIFEBOATS FOR EVERYONE, AND IF THOSE LIFEBOATS WERE USED CORRECTLY, THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT.  
O:  AFTER THE TITANIC, CHANGES WERE MADE TO MAKE SURE THAT SHIPS WERE SAFER IN THE FUTURE.

D:  AND, THAT’S WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN ANOTHER TRAGEDY LIKE THE TITANIC IN THE 109 YEARS SINCE.  AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA IN 1914, A RECOMMENDATION WAS MADE THAT SHIPS WOULD HAVE ENOUGH LIFEBOATS FOR EVERYONE ON BOARD AND THAT THE PASSENGERS WOULD BE INSTRUCTED ON HOW TO USE THEM.  

O:  I’M JUST 7 YEARS OLD AND I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT.

D:  OTHER SAFETY MEASURES THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE AFTER THE TITANIC INCLUDE 24 HOUR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS FOR CONTACT WITH OTHER NEARBY BOATS.  ALSO, THE INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL WAS CREATED TO MONITOR ICEBERGS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS.  THERE ARE OFTEN SO MANY ICEBERGS IN THE AREA WHERE THE TITANIC WENT DOWN THAT IT HAS SINCE BEEN CALLED ICEBERG ALLEY.         

ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  THE LARGEST CRUISE SHIP TODAY IS ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS.  HOW DOES IT COMPARE IN SIZE TO THE TITANIC?

O:  THE SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS IS MUCH LARGER THAN THE TITANIC.

D:  IT IS MORE THAN 300 FEET LONGER THAN THE TITANIC.  IT IS ALSO MORE THAN TWICE AS TALL… 229 FEET VS. 104 FEET.  THE SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS HAS 18 FLOORS, OR DECKS, COMPARED TO 10 FOR THE TITANIC.  THE ONE THING THAT ISN’T MUCH DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO SHIPS IS THE MAX SPEED.  THE TITANIC HAD A MAX SPEED OF 24 MILES PER HOUR, AND THE SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS HAS A MAX SPEED OF 25 MILES PER HOUR.  

O:  THE MOST IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE IS THAT SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS, AND OTHER CRUISE SHIPS TODAY, ARE SAFER THAN THE TITANIC.

D:  YOU GOT THAT RIGHT, AND THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  134 - TITANIC

D:  GREAT JOB, OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO ADELYN, ARCHIE, AND ADDISON FOR THE FASCINATING HISTORICAL TOPIC.  IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, I THINK YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE OUR MONTHLY CURRENT EVENTS EPISODES.  IN ORDER TO HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE EPISODES, CHECK OUT OUR PATREON PAGE.  FOR YOUR SUPPORT, YOU GET TONS OF EXCLUSIVE PERKS LIKE CURRENT EVENTS EPISODES, A SHOUTOUT IN AN EPISODE, YOU KNOW WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON AT THE PODCAST BEFORE ANYONE ELSE, AND SO MUCH MORE.  CHECK US OUT ON PATREON, THAT’S P-A-T-R-E-O-N, OR JUST CLICK ON THE PATREON LINK IN THE SHOW NOTES.  NEXT WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT SOAP FOR A LISTENER IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.