For a story with such a rich seam of true elements, it is somewhat bizarre that fiction, urban myths and exaggerated premonitions have been invented to sit alongside the factual accounts of
Titanic’s sinking. To try to understand why, it is necessary to understand the era in which these claims of foreboding came to light.
Victorians, Edwardians and early 20th century wealthy society had a fascination with the unexplained. Spiritualists, mediums and downright tricksters saw an easy way to make money out of those willing to believe in fortune telling and windows into another world. It was the stuff of parlour games, tricks of the light, smoke and mirrors. Is it any wonder then that the most newsworthy event before the First World War was put under the spotlight of soothsayers?
If you look at the
premonitions which were reported surrounding the
Titanic’s loss and examine them through cynical eyes, you could say that every major disaster attracts its fair share of “if only” tales. Plane crashes, train accidents, even motorway pile ups will attract people claiming to have had a warning which took them along another path, thus avoiding death or injury. Victorian writer, Thomas Hardy was a firm believer in a predestined fate and wove the notion into most of his novels.
As for the books written about disaster at sea which have many parallels with the Titanic story, perhaps it is not such a coincidence that as ships became bigger and carried more people, it was sensible to speculate that safety regulations should also have been increased.
In the video, Premonitions and Anticipations we present some of the unexplained glimpses into the future which came to light after Titanic’s sinking. Whether you see it as mystery or treat it with a large pinch of salt is entirely up to you.
Titanic myths, rumours and predictions- watch our video now.