How Did The RMS Titanic Impact The World

“The clock in the wireless shack said 12:45 A.M. when the Titanic sent the first SOS call in history” (Lord, Walter). In the time of the early 1900s, the world globally had few tragic events that impacted the majority of the population. Because technology was limited due to the time period, events that struck most parts of the world were few and far between. Although, there was one historical tragedy that did impact the world during this period in history. The sinking of the RMS Titanic reached from culture to culture. The launching of the boat was something that millions from around the world came to see. On April 10th, 1912, the boat with the greatest reputation took off heading toward New York City(Titanic 1).. There were 2,228 people inside

the ship. 337 were located in the first class, 285 in the second class, and 721 in the lower third class, also including 885 crew members (Titanic 1). The RMS Titanic was the most well-known and tragic accident around the world in the early 1900s due to the historical, social and economic factors impacting the world then and now.
The ship RMS Titanic was docked in Ireland before setting sail for America. The ship was known for its inability to sink. During the long awaited journey, The Titanic collided with an iceberg causing the ship to sink on April 15th, 1912, 2 days after setting sail. The ship had approximately 2228 hundred passengers on the ship. The accident resulted in the ending of about 1,500 lives from all around the world. Many of the victims were from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and even from Africa (How the sinking of the Titanic changed the world 1).
After the accident, the RMS Titanic’s sinking went down in history.

Today there are an uncountable amount of memorials, museum displays and records regarding this historic event. Major memorials dedicated to this historically significant accident are located all around the world. For example, the Titanic Memorial lighthouse Memorial in New York City, the RMS Titanic museum attraction in Tennessee, the Addergoole Titanic Memorial Park in Mayo, Ireland, the Titanic Bandsmen Memorial in Australia and many more are all sites honoring those who lost their lives (SITE: vanity fair). Hollywood came out with a movie about the RMS Titanic because of the historical significance of the event had on our well-known it has become all around the world.

The historical significance and the impact the Titanic shipwreck had on the worlds history is discussed by many historians and experts even today. People investigating the sinking of the titanic may wonder how this particular shipwreck become one of the most famous in history. What made this history so worthy to keep around when there were thousands of historical events just as significant or event more that aren’t as

recognized?
The Titanic was the newest and greatest ship of the early 1900s and its reputation granted something special that attracted people. The ship was portrayed to the world as being “unsinkable” (Titanic 1.) “In technology especially, the disaster was a terrible blow. Here was the "unsinkable ship" -- perhaps man's greatest engineering achievement -- going down the first time it sailed” (Lord, Walter) From what we know about history, that was strongly mistaken. Stated by one historian, the “Titanic was doomed from the start by the design, yet many lauded it as state-of-the-art” (Titanic 1). The outside looked as though it was created to fit kings and queens, but the architecture was subpar and resulted in the sinking.
Many wonder why this particular shipwreck went down in history like the way it did. Experts believe it was due to the global impact the ship wreck had on society. As stated above, many countries citizens travelled to reach the boat and once they boarded, lost their lives. In the early 1900s, there were not many global disasters that united the world, until the Titanic. Debated by many, some historians believe that this could have been the cause of the Titanic’s stardom.
I have learned all about the RMS Titanic and the tragic shipwreck throughout my schooling years. I have always wondered why this shipwreck is so famous considering there were many that occurred in history. I have come to realize that the cause of the titanic fame could have come from the reputation that was supposed to proceed itself, yet never did. By telling the people that this particular ship was “unsinkable”, there was a spotlight shined on it. The expectation of the Titanic was different than any other known to man. Labeling the Titanic as one that wasn’t going to sine, made the news that it sank on April 15th, 1912 even bigger and more tragic than if it was just a “regular” shipwreck.
The historical significance of the titanic was one of the most important impacts that made the titanic what it is today, but another important factor was the economic impact. The Titanic was one of the biggest ships of their time, so it took a lot of financial support in order to build and make the machine run. Because of the difference in prices, only the highest and wealthiest were able to get tickets on the Titanic and even the lowest third class tickets were expensive.
One article explained the financial impacts of the sinking. Obtaining a ticket on the titanic is something that was very costly for families trying to start a life overseas in America. The average cost to go on the titanic today would be about 83,200 dollars for a first class ticket. This would include the first class title and a parlor suit, which was a set of rooms inside the ship that were dedicated to the ticket holder. A third class ticket, which would have been about 40 dollars in 1912, today would be about 793 dollars (Economic impact). These tickets were scarce and few that boarding was something of a gift. These tickets were so expensive because the cost of building the titanic was about 7,500,000 dollars, or 400,000,000 dollars in today’s society (Economic Impact). That is a very big financial impact on the economy, considering the money difference from the rich to the poor. Thus explaining why the rich were treated like kings and queens and the poor treated like slaves.
Theorists believe that wealth was a big factor in someone’s ability to survive or die during the accident. “When the Titanic was sinking, first class passengers got the lifeboats and the rest were left to fend for themselves” (site). Although, the first class ticket was a staggering amount of cost higher than a third class ticket, many argue that the people on the ship were paying for what they got. The people with higher class and a higher ticket price survived because of the money they brought in. They were basically paying for their life, as if those with less money didn’t deserve to live.
“Saving the ship from sinking required charting a different course than the one preferred by the first class passengers, whose preferences prevailed before disaster struck. It even required some extreme measures — including borrowing materials from other passing ships to patch the holes” (site). This meant that by saving the ship, it was going against what the first class individual’s requests and wishes.
I believe that those on the ship were at a big disadvantage if they happened to be in the lower deck, aka a third class member. It is statistically known that on the titanic 64 percent of the passengers survived that were in the first class, while only 25 percent of third class passengers survived. Those with more money had greater opportunity and means to get in a life boat. This is one of the reasons that the titanic was so significant in the world’s tragic accidents. It was a clear example of what money can buy a person.
In the time period in which the Titanic’s sinking too place, the social aspect of life determined how and who lives and who died. The Titanic had a big impact on the reaction when the world heard of the news, especially in America. The people of the world were insured that this ship was the best of its kind and that nothing could happen to its survival. In the chaos of the event, men were turned away from life boats as the women and children were to board first. During that time period in history, men were looked at as the caregivers and those who could fight for their lives, while the women were expected to be weak and couldn’t fend for themselves. Which explains why women could get on life boats and men had to stay behind.
Another social aspect of the ship was on the basis of class. It was simple. The more money someone had, the greater they were treated and the more opportunities they had when receiving/choosing a ticket. Those in the first class did not associate with those of the third of even the second class. They were superior in every way on the Titanic. An example of this was the states that “Passengers traveling first class on the Titanic were roughly 44 percent more likely to survive than other passengers” (Site). Although, social statues did change once the Titanic started to sink. No one cared what class they were standing next to because they were just trying to survive. If someone didn’t make the life boats, people considered them all on the same level because they were heading to the same fate.
In society there were many people that died during the titanic who were important to society. For example, Captain Edward John Smith who helped voyage the Titanic with experience and courage, yet with some questionable decisions. He said, "When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experience in nearly forty years at sea, I merely say, uneventful. Of course there have been winter gales, and storms and fog and the like. But in all my experience, I have never been in any accident ... or any sort worth speaking about. I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort." This quote demonstrates how he never went through a crash, yet his life ended when he took his journey to the Titanic.

There are many stories of survivor’s accounts of the night that the Titanic sank.

They are haunting to hear about and I wanted to see what these real life events were like. It is important to see the significance of those In the first class compared to those in the third class with real life experiences. For example, Jack Thayer was a first class passenger who lived through the horrifying event and spoke about his time on the titanic. He was separated from his family and was with his friend. “Just before the Titanic sank, they decided to jump from the rail. Milton went first. Jack never saw him again.” Jack recorded hearing screams as the titanic when down into the cold water. Then almost all at once they stopped and dwindled. He lived on to see that his mother did in fact survive, but the same was not true for his father. He later in life committed suicide. This is just one tragic story of the records of that night. This is a good example of what will help me write the paper, not something I would probably put in my paper.

Through the historical, social and economic significance that the Titanic displayed, when it sank, had one of the biggest lasting impacts on our society and culture today. The world’s unsinkable ship was in fact, sinkable and those from all around the world heard of the news. “The clock in the wireless shack said 12:45 A.M. when the Titanic sent the first SOS call in history” (A night to remember). Ever sense that SOS was sent many years ago, our lives have

never been the same. Tragedy hit globally and the world is still impacted by the studies, learning and investigates about the RMS Titanic.