Friday 13 April 2012

A century after the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage, let’s remember the people on board

Sunday sees the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which went down in the early morning of the 15th April 1912 with the loss of over 1500 lives. The story of the “unsinkable” Titanic has fascinated us ever since and many books, TV series, films and documentaries have been produced about the ship and those on board over the last century. Search for Titanic on our catalogue to find out what’s available from your SMU library. You might also like to read our blog post from last year.

Many fictionalised accounts of the voyage have been written (including James Cameron’s epic film, which is available from Griffith Library in Dynevor), but it’s the stories of the real people that seem most captivating. You can find out about the crew and passengers on the Titanic from the new National Archives web page which has been launched to commemorate the anniversary: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/titanic/. The 20 stories they’ve chosen from witnesses, victims and survivors make for interesting and often very poignant reading.

You can also view a timeline from the ship’s construction to the death of the last survivor in 2009, as well as videos and podcasts from various experts. Teachers can follow links to online lessons. This website is packed with information and can become quite addictive, though it may also bring a tear to your eye!

No comments:

Post a Comment