Stephanie Barczewski

So there was one eyewitness account that said this. I think most Titanic historians, including myself, have always found it very implausible that they were going to try to dock a ship the size of Titanic in New York at night, right, in the dark, essentially. If we think about particularly the quality of like electric lighting that would have been available at the time.

So there was one eyewitness account that said this. I think most Titanic historians, including myself, have always found it very implausible that they were going to try to dock a ship the size of Titanic in New York at night, right, in the dark, essentially. If we think about particularly the quality of like electric lighting that would have been available at the time.

And also that there would have been a big kind of welcome ceremony arranged for the following morning. So, in fact, it probably would have garnered less publicity, not more for the Titanic to arrive at night. So all of this seems highly implausible.

And also that there would have been a big kind of welcome ceremony arranged for the following morning. So, in fact, it probably would have garnered less publicity, not more for the Titanic to arrive at night. So all of this seems highly implausible.

He's kind of showing off this new technology of radio that they have on board that, you know, he can actually get these messages. You know, they've never been able to do this before. He's sort of showing them off to passengers, right, to say, hey, look, you know, we're going to be entering an ice field soon. Isn't that exciting?

He's kind of showing off this new technology of radio that they have on board that, you know, he can actually get these messages. You know, they've never been able to do this before. He's sort of showing them off to passengers, right, to say, hey, look, you know, we're going to be entering an ice field soon. Isn't that exciting?

And I think some of the passengers are like, are we going to slow down? He's like, of course not. We're not going to slow down.

And I think some of the passengers are like, are we going to slow down? He's like, of course not. We're not going to slow down.

He's sort of gone to Europe for a while to kind of escape the press hostility. And then they're actually finally decided that it's going to be safe to come back to New York, that they can come back and at least begin to get out from under the scandal that's been surrounding him with this young wife.

He's sort of gone to Europe for a while to kind of escape the press hostility. And then they're actually finally decided that it's going to be safe to come back to New York, that they can come back and at least begin to get out from under the scandal that's been surrounding him with this young wife.

It's hard to point to anything that Captain Smith does or doesn't do that is radically different from any other captain at the time. You know, if something's working against him, right, it's his long experience. Experience can be a great thing. It can, you know, teach us all kinds of things about what to do and what not to do. In his case, I think it did breed a certain complacency, right?

It's hard to point to anything that Captain Smith does or doesn't do that is radically different from any other captain at the time. You know, if something's working against him, right, it's his long experience. Experience can be a great thing. It can, you know, teach us all kinds of things about what to do and what not to do. In his case, I think it did breed a certain complacency, right?

That he'd always done things in this way and he was going to continue to do them this way. But I don't think a younger captain probably would have behaved particularly differently. I think what he does is very standard practice of the time. So it's that standard practice we probably need to criticize and not anything that Smith does or doesn't do.

That he'd always done things in this way and he was going to continue to do them this way. But I don't think a younger captain probably would have behaved particularly differently. I think what he does is very standard practice of the time. So it's that standard practice we probably need to criticize and not anything that Smith does or doesn't do.

We don't want the diseased people communing with the healthy, the presumably healthy people, right, the healthy upper class people in first class. So we have to keep them away. That's why those barriers are there and they're still there.

We don't want the diseased people communing with the healthy, the presumably healthy people, right, the healthy upper class people in first class. So we have to keep them away. That's why those barriers are there and they're still there.

I mean, if you've ever flown transatlantically, when they do that thing that always makes you feel when you're back in, you know, sort of cattle class, right, as most of us are, and they pull that curtain across from first class, right, that's a remnant of the same American laws.

I mean, if you've ever flown transatlantically, when they do that thing that always makes you feel when you're back in, you know, sort of cattle class, right, as most of us are, and they pull that curtain across from first class, right, that's a remnant of the same American laws.

Those physical barriers that are required to be between first class or business class and the rest of the airplane, that's the same, those locked gates that we talk about on Titanic, that's the same laws that created those.

Those physical barriers that are required to be between first class or business class and the rest of the airplane, that's the same, those locked gates that we talk about on Titanic, that's the same laws that created those.