13 Titanic Facts You Didn't Know

Discover 13 intriguing new pieces of Titanic trivia for the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck.

By: Damon Beres (ReadersDigest.com)

1. An Unusual Full Moon May Have Contributed to the Crash

Scientists recently arrived at a new theory that the full moon months before could be to blame for the Titanic's collision with the iceberg, which killed about 1,500 people.

Quoting astronomer Donald Olson of Texas State University-San Marcos, National Geographic's Richard A. Lovett wrote, "That full moon, on January 4, 1912, may have created unusually strong tides that sent a flotilla of icebergs southward—just in time for Titanic's maiden voyage."

This wasn't a normal full moon, though: "It was the closest lunar approach, in fact, since A.D. 796, and Earth won't see its like again until 2257," wrote Lovett.

(Photo: 'Titanic in Photographs,' the History Press)


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1 comment

    i hope that there's more trivia.

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