Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles Whether you've gotten your knowledge about the Titanic from the James Cameron film, or through the seemingly endless series of documentaries, websites, and books about the ill-fated ship, the harsh realities of the lives and deaths of the 2,207 passengers and crew tend to get lost in translation. The 706 names on the Titanic survivor list reveal the circumstances of those lucky men and women, as well as those of the over 1,500 unfortunates who never made it. What were they like? Where would you have been if you'd boarded the ship, and would you have made it off? Today we're exploring your chances of surviving the Titanic. But before we sink into that, be sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and let us know what your favorite iceberg is named. Now, to the Atlantic! [DRAMATIC MUSIC] To be a child traveling on the Titanic in first class would have been a real treat. Well, at least at the start of the journey. Passengers in the first class came from the upper echelons of society and enjoyed all of the luxuries the ship had to offer. Children aged 2 to 17 traveled not only with their families, but with their private attendants. And even their dogs, unfortunately for the attendants and dogs. First class accommodations varied, but first class passengers could hit the gym, play squash, go to the ship's library, drink at one of the cafes, even sweat off a few pounds in the sauna. Children would have spent the trip doing the usual kids stuff, playing games, exploring, and, of course, running up and down the Grand first class Staircase. Your chances of surviving, 48% of children on the Titanic survived the voyage. But among the first class children, their survivability rate was closer to 100%. There were six first class children aboard, and all were saved, although one source indicates that there may have been one child from first class who didn't make it off the ship. Who you are, children in second class, from 10-month-old Alden Gates Caldwell, to 13-year-old Violet Madeline Mellinger, were from middle class families and spent their time aboard the Titanic in moderate surroundings. The children of teachers, clergymen, and other working professionals didn't have as much space to run around, but were able to eat three-course meals in relative style. Second class passengers were given accommodations that resembled first class standards on other ships. Children in second class were representative of some of the diversity and social challenges facing the middle class, however. Michel Navratil kidnapped his two children and smuggled them onto the Titanic, for example. Joseph Laroche, the only black man aboard, his two children and his expectant wife boarded the Titanic after learning he would not be able to dine with his children if they took a different ship. Your chances of surviving, all of the children in second class on the Titanic, 24 in total, survive. The youngest boy was 7-month-old Viljo Unto Johannes Hamalainen. And the youngest girl was 10-month-old Barbara Joyce West. Both Viljo and Barbara's mothers survived, as well. But Barbara's father, Edwy Arthur West, perished on the voyage. Who you are, children in third class, a.k.a. steerage, a.k.a. the broom closet, on the Titanic were from the lower classes of society. Children's tickets were around $15 each which equates to around $387 in 2019 money. The berths and other spaces available to children in the third class were much less glamorous and far smaller than those in first and second class. Children played below deck with their siblings and, in many instances, there were a lot of siblings to choose from. There were five Anderson children, nine from the Sage family, and six Goodwin children aboard. Others made games out of what they had available to them, like Frankie Goldsmith, 9, who swung from cranes in the baggage area. Your chance of surviving, only 27 out of the 79 children in third class survived the sinking of the Titanic. The youngest survivor of the Titanic disaster was from the third class, however. Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean was only two months old at the time of the sinking. Who you are, all of the shiny perks of being a woman in first class aboard the Titanic would have been a bit overwhelming, especially given how rarely womanhood involved perks in those days. Women from upper class families, like Madeline Talmadge Astor, who had recently married millionaire John Jacob Astor IV, and model and actress Dorothy Gibson, enjoyed 10 to 14-course meals when they weren't spending their time in tea gardens and the library available to them. Most women traveling in first class had attendants with them. Maids, cooks, nurses for the kids, which meant a fair number of lower class women traveled with upper class echelons. The fashion in first class distinguished elite women from the rest of those on the ship. Women donned hats and gloves during the day, and at night they wore the finest evening gowns of the time. Your chance of surviving, women and children first was true for the most part on the Titanic. One of the only difficulties experienced by first class women was the inability to get clear information on what was really going on. Goal one among crew members was to keep the first class passengers as calm and comfortable as what is possible on a sinking ship, which naturally meant controlling the flow of information. After the ship struck the iceberg, John Jacob Astor went to see what was going on. And, after receiving an update from the crew, assured his wife it was nothing serious. Madeline Astor did survive the sinking of the Titanic, as did her unborn child and 90% of the women in first class. In fact, only four of the 144 women in first class on the Titanic perished. Who you are, the women in second class, many of whom were wives and daughters of the middle class bankers, bureaucrats, and other professionals, enjoyed bedrooms and dining rooms decorated with mahogany, silk drapery, and ornate upholstery on the Titanic. These women included Mary Corey, who was traveling back to the United States from India, where her husband was working for the British. Sylvia Caldwell was returning to the United States to visit family after having spent time in Siam, now Thailand, with her husband. Several women in second class were traveling alone or with friends. Clear Annie Cameron, and her friend Nellie Wallcroft, found themselves on the Titanic after their passage aboard another ship had been interrupted by a coal strike. Others were traveling under more clandestine circumstances. Kate Phillips and her married boss Henry Morley, for example, were having an affair. Phillips was traveling under an alias, and it's believed she and Morley conceived a child while on board. Your chances of surviving, out of the 93 women in second class aboard the Titanic, 80 survive. The 86% survival rate indicates that women, again, were given first go at lifeboats. However, in total, only 42% of the passengers in second class survived. Who you are, many of the women in third class aboard the Titanic were immigrants headed to the United States in search of a better life. Often married and bringing along large families to meet up with husbands already in the United States, women in steerage spent their time in boats occupied by two to six people. Women like Margaret Mannion weren't married, but rather were on their way to reunite with siblings or other family members that already made their way to America. Stuck in cramped quarters while the rich folks swanned about in their libraries and gyms, third class passengers bonded and struck up new friendships. Sarah Roth, for example, a seamstress traveling to meet her fiance in New York spent her time with Emily Badman, who was on her way to New York to reunite with her sister. Your chances of surviving, women in steerage weren't able to survive with the same higher percentage rates of their first and second class counterparts. There were 165 women in third class, but only 76 survived. That's a 46% mortality rate, mostly due to the geography of poverty. Another chilling reason for the high death toll was that many of the gates that separated the third class part of the ship, intended to keep disease from spreading, remained locked after the Titanic struck the iceberg. Who you are, the wealthiest man aboard the Titanic was John Jacob Astor IV. But he wasn't alone in terms of prestige, lineage, or his affinity for the finer things in life. Wealthy and influential men like Isidore Strauss, partner in Macy's Department Store, Benjamin Guggenheim, yes, that Guggenheim family, and Walter Miller Clark, who was a sugar company magnate, spent their time aboard the Titanic like most gentlemen of the time. Sporting their finest evening wear, smoking cigars, and exchanging politically charged pontifications well into the night. A first class ticket could cost up to $2,560, roughly $66,000 in today's money. And these fat cats could pay. Many of the men in first class were awake when the ship struck the iceberg at 11:40 PM on April 14th, including Henry Blank, who was playing cards with a few of his other fellow passengers. Being manly men, they weren't alarmed by the slight jar they felt. And after the ship stopped, they returned to their rooms. Going down with the ship was the honorable thing for a man to do, and almost 68% of the men in first class did just that. Of the 175 men in first class, only 57 survived. Of the 118 that perished, many of them reportedly did so after delivering their wives and children to lifeboats. Who you are, as one of the 168 male second class passengers aboard the Titanic, you probably belong to the middle class. Second class passengers included filmmaker William Harbeck, who was hired by the White Star Line to film the voyage. And the ship's musicians, who famously played inspiring music until they were swallowed by the icy waters. Your chances of surviving, men in second class aboard the Titanic had the lowest percent survival rate, at a meager 8%. Only 14 men in second class made it through the ordeal. All eight of the musicians on board died, and only the bodies of band leader Wallace Hartley, bass violinist John Clarke, and violinist John Hume, were recovered. Several of the casualties from the men in second class were clergymen who stayed with other passengers until the very end. Reverends Robert Bateman and John Harper, as well as Fathers Thomas Biles, Ernest Courtney, Charles Kirkland, William Lahtinen, Juozas Montvila, and Josef Peruschitz, all held second class tickets. And despite being of different faiths, made their final stand together as the Titanic sank, bringing comfort to the dying at the cost of their own lives. "Continuing the prayers, he led us to where the boats were being lowered," said the Evening World of Father Thomas Biles. "Helping the women and children in, he whispered to them words of comfort and encouragement." Who you are, third class passenger Farid Husayn Qasim on the Titanic was with his relative Nasif Qasim Abi-Al-Muna, who had already become a successful merchant in the United States. Juho Stranden was a farmer from Finland. Gunnar Tenglin was a Swedish native who had traveled home to visit family from the United States. And Camilius Wittevrongel was on his way from Belgium to Detroit, Michigan, in hopes of a better life. As third class passengers these men made friends, spent time below deck with each other, and, according Tenglin, who survived, enjoyed accommodations better than they could have imagined on the ship. It was said that many passengers in third class were so unaccustomed to indoor plumbing that they were given automatic toilets to use, something even first class passengers didn't have. This was because the staff feared they might not be accustomed to the need to flush. Your chances of surviving, this is a bit of a numbers trick. Only 24% of the third class passengers on the Titanic survive, and just over 16% of the men were part of that group. There were 462 men in steerage, and, of those, only 75 made it out. The staggering loss of life among third class passengers has been attributed to their position on the ship, specifically behind locked gates. But accounts tend to differ as to whether or not steerage passengers could get to the lifeboats. One steerage passenger, Daniel Buckley, survived and later testified that those steerage passengers were initially prohibited from entering the first class decks that had the same opportunities to get into lifeboats. Who you are, Ruth Bowker and Mabel Martin worked in one of the restaurants on the Titanic. Both women were single and worked in hostels prior to their careers at sea. Other female crew members, stewardesses like Mabel Bennett, and bath attendant Maude Slocombe, were women from large families. Bennett was one of 10 children and was married with a child, but living with her sister prior to working on the Titanic. Your chances of surviving, of the 23 female crew members on board the Titanic, 20 survive. The 87% survival rate was, again, a result of women and children first rule. One survivor, Violet Jessop, was a stewardess aboard the ship and helped the passengers and crew into lifeboats, before boarding one herself. Once she was aboard lifeboat number 16, she cared for an infant until she could find the child's mother. After surviving the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, Jessop kept working at sea and was aboard the Britannic, in 1916, when it sank in the Aegean Sea after hitting a mine. Who you are, male crew members aboard the Titanic worked as doctors, carpenters, stewards, engineers, electricians, and window cleaners. The Titanic ship officer, Captain Edward J. Smith, had a long career at sea, and was in bed at the time of the iceberg strike. Men like fireman George Beauchamp were working below deck, and were on duty when the ship began to sink. Because it was late at night, Harold Bride was in bed. But his fellow communications officer, John Jack George Phillips, was on duty. Bride had only finished his training in wireless telegraphy the previous year, but Phillips had been working at sea since 1906. Your chances of surviving, not great. Only 192 of the 885 male crew members on the Titanic survive. Of the ship's officers, Captain Smith and his first, second, and sixth officers, Henry Wilde, William Murdoch, and James Moody, all die. Both ship's doctors died, as did all 25 engineers, six electrical engineers, 10 electricians, two boilermakers, a plumber, his clerk, and several firemen and coal trimmers. Both Phillips and Bride made it off the Titanic. They stayed on board as long as they could, transmitting until water forced them out of the wireless room. But Phillips did not survive the night in the water. As you see, when we determine the basis for survivability of the Titanic, class is far less important than sex or age. Most of the variance of first class versus third class survival rates is entirely a gender thing. 44% of the first class passengers were women, while only 23% of the third class passengers were women. Because the survival rate for women was far greater than the survival rate for men, we'd anticipate a higher survival rate for first class passengers than for third class passengers. So what do you think? Would you have survived the Titanic? Let us know in the comments below. And while you're at it, subscribe to more of our Weird History.
B2 US titanic class surviving survived phillips crew Based On Your Income, Would You Have Survived the Titanic Disaster? 21 1 joey joey posted on 2021/05/21 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary