The+Titanic+-+famous+Americans+on+board

** Stephanie and Rachel **
 * Famous Americans on the Titanic **



1. Introduction The //Titanic// was a ship. And it sunk. Many people died. They drowned in cold water. It was sad. People cried.

The End.

In 1908, the White Star Line began building the //Titanic. // It was 882 feet, 9 inches long, had 10 decks, 29 boilers, 159 furnaces, 3 engines, and a horse power of 46,000. Its maiden voyage was scheduled for April 1912. People quickly reserved their spots on what was, at the time, the biggest ship ever built. The ship was full of the rich and famous--the net worth of everyone on the ship was over $500 million--but it also accommodated those in lower classes (but they were confined to the lower decks). Among the ships passengers were Henry B. Harris, celebrity Broadway producer, and his wife; American artist Frank Millet, writer Jacques Futrelle; and silent movie star Dorothy Gibson; a former Wyoming senator; Major Archibald Butt (we're not kidding); The Countess of Rothes, who was going to Canada to join her fruit-farmer husband. There were over 20 newly-wed couples, but only the Bishops of Michigan survived the disastrous sinking of the ship. Some of the most influential Americans on the //Titanic // were Molly Brown, Isidor Straus, Ruth Dodge, and John Jacob Astor IV.

2. Molly Brown

Before the Titanic Maggie Brown was born Margaret Tobin on July 18th, 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri. When she was 17 she moved to Leadville, a silver mining boom town, and began work there as a seamstress. There she met J.J. Brown, the foreman of a silver mine. It was love at first sight, and after a few years of dating they got married in 1890. Soon afterwards, J.J. Brown convinced his boss to expand one of their mines, and the struck a huge supply of copper. Now incredibly wealthy, the Maggie and J.J. moved from their two-room log cabin to a mansion in Denver. Maggie Brown then set out to enter Denver's high society, which refused to accept her. Undeterred, Brown spent the winter of 1894 in New York City learning about drama and literature at the Carnegie Institute, then set off to Paris to learn French, the "language of refinment".1 She planned to travel Europe for several weeks, but cut her adventure short after she acquired a large quantity of fine art. She decided to donate it to the Denver Museum and host a party at the opening of the new exibit. Brown hoped that it would boost her up in Denver society. After renting a stateroom on B Deck, forward for $130, she boarded the //Titanic //. (1)

On Board When the //Titanic // struck the iceberg, Maggie Brown was relaxing in her room, trying to finish a book. Hearing commotion in the hall, she went to investigate. There a member of the crew instructed her to get her life vest and directed her to the upper decks. Once there, she helped at least two frantic people into life boats. She wasn't afraid herself, and would have stayed on the sinking ship longer to assist the crew in loading passengers into life boats if she wasn't forced into one herself. Along with Brown in life boat number six were 14 women and three men (all who worked on the ship and were in charge of running the life boat). Quartermaster Robert Hitchens soon clashed with Maggie Brown. He loudly voiced his certainty that when the //Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> was completely submerged ﻿it would form a whirlpool, sucking them all into the frigid water with it. Brown was incredibly annoyed with his pessimism and his refusal to man an oar to help row them away from the sight of the whirlpool he prophesied. When the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> went under at 2:20, no whirlpool was formed and the occupants of life boat six were completely safe. That didn't stop Hitchens from preaching of their imminent doom, though. Two hours later, they saw a light from the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Carpathia //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> (Hitchens thought it was a star), and soon they were safely on board. Brown went right to work. She helped compile lists of survivors, translated for those who couldn't speak English, and collected money from the other first-class passengers as a gift for the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Carpathia //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">'s crew (many had worked non-stop for more than two days). By the time they docked in New York, more than $10,000 had been pledged by the grateful survivors. (1)

After the Titanic The White Star Line tried to keep the press away from the survivours of the //Titanic// when they first arrived in New York. A few reporters slipped past security, though, and barraged the passangers, especially Maggie Brown, with questions. When asked how she survived the disaster, Brown answered **"Typical Brown Luck. We're unsinkable. "**This statement, as well as stories of her heroism, captured the hearts of thousands. She became a national and international celebrity and finally was welcome in Denver high society. She died in 1942. Maggie Brown's life inspired the broadway musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"('Maggie' isn't musical enough), written by Meredith Willson in. In 1964 it was translated to a movie. Debbie Reynolds starred as Molly and was nominated for an Acadamy Award. She once said, "Thank you, Molly Brown, for being you! You must have had great fun and joy in your life." (1) <span style="border-bottom: #4f81bd 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; mso-element: para-border-div; padding-bottom: 4pt; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;"> media type="youtube" key="z6brloMpN3I" height="362" width="676" align="center"

3. Isidor Straus Before the Titanic <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">Isidor Straus was born February 6, 1845 in Rhenish, Bavaria. (2) Isidor immigrated to the U.S. of A. shortly before the American Civil War with his family. They settled in Georgia. <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">He sold Confederate bonds during the war, before he started a small china business in Philadelphia. Isidor saw the opportunity in a New York store named Macy's. Isidor and his brother, Nathan, asked if they could sell their glassware in Macy's; in return they would give 10% of their earnings to Macy's. Within the next 10 years their business grew and by 1896 the Straus brothers owned Macy's. He also served as a congressman for New York between 1895-1897. Isidor married Ida and together they had many children including a daughter named Beatrice. By 1910, Isidor started slowing down on work and spending time traveling with his wife, and for hobbies. In 1912 the Straus's went on a vacation to Europe with their daughter, Beatrice.

<span style="background: white; color: #17365d; font-family: 'Harlow Solid Italic'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">On Board <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The Straus's were returning from a vacation to Europe. They had brought their daughter, Beatrice, with them but she was not accompanying them aboard the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Titanic. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> The Straus's had with them a maid, Ellen Bird, and a manservant, John Farthing. They occupied cabins C-55-57. The Straus's were very relaxed and leisurely from their vacation. They were taking the voyage on the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> as the last whim of their vacation time so they had fun to make the end memorable. When the Straus's and their servants were informed to go up top with life jackets Mrs. Straus gave her fur coat to her maid, Ellen Bird. They went to the top decks and waited for a lifeboat. Mrs. Straus decided no to take her lifeboat spot saying to her husband "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go." Although she was staying on board Ida encouraged Ellen to get into a lifeboat.

<span style="background: white; color: #17365d; font-family: 'Harlow Solid Italic'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">After the Titanic <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">(2) Both Ida and Isidor Straus perished with the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">. Ida gave up her place on a lifeboat when her husband was not allowed to join her. There was a memorial in New York where some 40,000 people came to remember them; many eulogies were read including one by Andrew Carnegie. After the 1997 film //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> was released the Straus couple became a romantic icon. The department store Macy's had become a national icon and been extremely successful in the last 100 years after the Straus's death.

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<span style="background: white; color: #17365d; font-family: 'Harlow Solid Italic'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">4. Ruth Dodge

Before the Titanic <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Born Ruth Vidaver, Ruth grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She was born March 27, 1878. Ruth had two children from different marriages: Vida from her first and Washington Jr. from her second. Ruth and her second husband, Dr. Washington Dodge, were from San Francisco. Dr. Dodge was a prominent banker in the San Francisco area. (3) Dr. Dodge was born in 1859. Both Ruth and Her husband had been married before; both had a child from the previous marriage. Together they had one son named Washington Dodge Jr. The Dodge Family was well liked and respected in their community.

On Board <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruth, her husband and their son were on the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> heading back home. Washington Jr. was 5 years old at the time. They boarded the ship in Southampton on April 20th. They occupied suite A34, and were first class passengers. On board the Dodge family participated in formal diners with other first class passengers. They would also use the gym and many decks. After the ship struck the iceberg the family was told by their steward to go up to the deck. Ruth first put on her night robe, life preserver, fur coat, and shoes. Washington Jr. only had on his pajamas and life preserver. On deck they were told that women and children were gathering on the port side of the ship. (3) Ruth was able to get onto the second life boat with her son that had an officer and crew to man the oars, while her husband stayed on deck. Dr. Dodge was later able to get into the 13th lifeboat that held no women or crew members.

After the Titanic <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Both Ruth and her husband survived the sinking of the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Titanic. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Dr. Dodge was able to give a firsthand account of where Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, Archibald Butt, and Bruce Ismay were when he exited the boat. Ismay had gotten into the 15th lifeboat, while Astor and Butt were standing next to each other on the deck. (3) Ruth later went on to give a firsthand account of what happened to her in //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The Bulletin // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">, a news bulletin in San Francisco. Her account gave insight to how the lifeboats were handled, how everyone was acting, and if there was heroism taking place. In this quote from her account, "I think it is foolish to speak of the heroism displayed. There was none that I witnessed.� she states that people were trying to save themselves and not other innocent lives. She later goes on about how officers manning the lifeboats wanted to go back to search for any survivors but that the women in her boat thought that was foolish. They thought that is they went back that the many 3rd class passengers would try to get in their boat and it would capsize. Ruth Dodge stated in her account of that night that many boats went down only half full, and that many were not scared because they had faith that the "unsinkable" ship would not sink. In 1919 Dr. Dodge was found by his wife, Ruth, after attempting to commit suicide, he died a few days later. Ruth died of natural causes in Manhattan during July of 1950, Washington Jr. died in 1976.

5. John Jacob Astor IV

Before the Titanic Colonol John Jacob Astor IV was born in Rhinebeck, New York in 1864. Since he was young, he had an infratuation with different modes of transportation. In England, he was fined for speeding, and he once disapeared in the Carribean for 16 days in his private yacht. He invented brakes for bicycles and a device that flattened roads. In 1909, he divorced his wife of 18 years, whom he had a son, Vincent, with. Due to his inheritance, Astor was incredibly rich and because of wise investments his wealth increased even more. He ended up owning half of Manhatten. He was a Colonol in the Spanish-American War, and built several hotels: The St. Regis, The Knickerbocker, and the second segment of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. He remarried in 1911. It would have been sooner after his divorce, but it was difficult to find a clergyman willing to perform the wedding. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Astor and his second wife were on their second honeymoon in Europe and Egypt when they discovered that 18-year-old Madeline was five months pregnant. They cut their trip short to return to the States on the //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Titanic //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">. The couple occupied the glamorous Suite C62 with their manservant, maid, and nurse.

On Board <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Not much is known of the Astor's pre-iceberg //Titanic// experience because the barely talked to anyone on the ship. When the stewards told them to put on their life jackets and go to the deck, Astor thought that they were to have a "training exercise by which it would be vividly demonstrated that an ocean liner can be evacuated quickly and efficiently" (1). Mrs. Astor even dressed up for the occasion, wearing a diamond necklace. But by 2 a.m. the couple realized that all was not well. Mrs. Astor was incredibly nervous, causing Maggie Brown to say "Poor thing, she must have been dreadfully uncomfortable and might have feared that the commotion would bring on labor" (1). When people began loading into lifeboats, Mr. Astor tried to enter a lifeboat with his wife, but the person in charge made him leave, strictly adhereing to the "women and children first" rule. As the lifeboat was lowered into the Atlantic (with room for at least 30 more people in it), Astor promised his wife that he'd see her in the morning, then went to the ship's kennels to release his dog, Kitty, from its cage. Shortly afterwards, Astor saved the life of William Carter, a ten-year-old boy. William was turned away from a lifeboat, so Astor put a girl's hat on him and told lightoller "Now he's a girl, and he can go." (1) That was the last certain sighting of Astor. He went down with the ship.

After the Titanic Vincent Astor identified his father's body (the first to be identified). The body was crushed and covered with soot, so it has been concluded that the forward funnel had landed on Astor when it fell into the water. No one is <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">completely sure how he died, though, and there has been much speculation. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Because of a handkerchief with the initials "AV' embroidered on it was found in his pocket, some think that Astor was murdered, and his killer switched shirts with Astor, but forgot to take his handkerchief out his chest pocket. This would be a solid theory if it weren't for the fact that the only AV on the //Titanic// was an immigrant woman Adele Jane Vogel, who probably wasn't wearing a man's shirt. Like hundreds of those who died on that night, how Astor spent his final hours remains a mystery. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">

6. Bibliography

// � A Stephanie and Rachel Production. All Rights Reserved //
 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Garrison, Webb B. //A Treasury of Titanic Tales//. Nashville, Tenn: Rutledge Hill, 1998. Print.
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tibballs, Geoff. //The Titanic: the Extraordinary Story of the "unsinkable" Ship//. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1997. Print.
 * 3) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Valentine, Rebecca, and Lawrence W. Baker. //Gilded Age and Progressive Era.// Detroit: UXL, 2007. Print.
 * 4) Ja<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">cob Astor: []
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Macy�s Video: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]
 * 6) Mo<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">lly Brown Video: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Newspaper Picture:"Titanic Sinks Four Hours after Hitting Iceberg; 866 Rescued by Carpathia, Probably 1250 Perished; Ismay Safe, Mrs. Astor Maybe, Noted Names Missing." //The New York Times// 15 Apr. 1912. Print. U<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">nderwater //Titanic// <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//Titanic// <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Picture: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]
 * 9) Photograph. //A Treasury of Titanic Tales//. Nashville: Rutledge Hill, 1998. 139. Print.
 * 10) Photograph. //A Treasury of Titanic Tales//. Nashville: Rutledge Hill, 1998. 119. Print.
 * 11) "Dr. [|Dodge] Shoots Self; May Die." //San Francisco Call & Post// 23 June 1919. //Encyclopedia-titanica//. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. [|http://http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/dr-dodge-shoots-self-may-die.html].