Originally Posted by I'mOneToo (Post 565223)

gaea, I also have a fascination for all things Titanic. Nope, no relatives on board nor anyone who knew any of them.

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/

Originally Posted by macele (Post 565245)

my niece is crazy about everything titanic. she and i went to the museum in pigeon forge, tn. she loved it. i went for the picture in front of the famous staircase (really just standing in front of a blue screen) lol.

we went into a room that was cold as cold can get, seemed like. we touched ice/water, ... how cold it would have been to be in the water, ... like those on the titanic. there was an illusion of the hallway. dang that looked real! i could just see rose and jack running together. any titanic fan would enjoy.

the titanic passengers experienced an unimaginable death, horrific. and those that lived, brought the unimaginable horror home with them. it's like 9 11. and katrina. everytime i think of, i close my eyes and feel a loss that's deep, dark, scarey. just can't imagine what they went through.

i've felt a connection with a person that i don't know, historic. it feels too personal to share. but i do understand the connection you are talking about. at least i think i do. i know the connection that i have had, ... has been to soothe my soul. and maybe the other "person's" spirit.

interesting topic. thank you, gaea.

Originally Posted by I'mOneToo (Post 565244)

There is this too, if you're interested:



It's an hour and a half long, but interesting.

Originally Posted by Ciaran (Post 565309)

I have little direct interest in The Titanic, although it was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in my beloved home city of Belfast. At the time, Belfast was world's leading manufacturer of ships.

The completion of The Titanic was a thing of pride for Belfast and its sinking damaged the psyche of the city for many years. It was something that was rarely discussed. Following decades of sectarian conflict and the decline of our manufacturing base, the shipyards died. The offices where The Titanic was designed remained but were boarded up. Bus tours of Belfast took visitors to the site where The Titanic was built - it was nothing but desolate wasteland and ghosts.

Until recently, our commemoration of the Titanic had been more discrete through a beautiful memorial to the Titanic victims erected in the grounds of our City Hall in 1920.

Things are very different today - a multi-million dollar Titanic Visitor Centre (http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx) opens this month and the city is at the heart of the Titanic celebrations. The Centre is in our Titanic quarter, the rebirth of the wasteland into waterfront apartments, offices and shops in what may become a thriving part of our city.

Not all rests easy with me. There's blatant over-commercialisation from the sale of Titanic-branded potato chips to a range of garish Titanic souvenirs. However, overall, this is incredibly positive and it's beautiful to see my city's contribution to The Titanic being finally recognised and the exorcising of certain ghosts in the process. As we've said in Belfast for many decades, The Titanic was fine when it left here.


As an aside, my grandfather was born only miles away from The Titanic on the same day that it set sale from Belfast. Sadly, I never knew him as he died more than a decade before I was born.

Originally Posted by gaea (Post 564724)

I really have no idea where this would go its history so i think this is an appropriate place.

I have had a strange addiction to everything Titanic since around the age of 4 i remember having a conversation with my mother about it and her asking me where i had "heard" the things i had been talking about, only i do not remember "hearing" anything so i could not say anything other than "I just know"

Now that the 100 years is upon us, the news media is all over this asking people about their strange addictions and or "connections" to the titanic.

I have found this interesting because i have a strange connection to it as well unexplainable i had no relatives aboard.

http://www.rmstitanic.net/

RIP-RMS TITANIC 04/15/1912

Does anyone else have these strange/odd connections to things history events of the past ?

Originally Posted by Electrocell (Post 565390)

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Originally Posted by gaea (Post 565328)

Im so glad you joined this conversation and gave us some insight into Belfast, ironic if you think about it, the way you described Belfast closing up after the ship sank and now is suddenly being reborn around the same ship.

Im curious and maybe you can help, why the stigma for so many years? Its not like Belfast had anything to do with the iceberg or the fatalities. They had engineers beyond their time that built this great ship, they had technology and a greater understanding of how things worked and put it all together, that to me is amazing in itself the design the actual building the hard working crew and construction members. etc.

Originally Posted by gaea (Post 565328)

I would go to this visitor centre just to be near, i would want to walk the land and see all around maybe someday i'll make it over to Belfast.

Originally Posted by Electrocell (Post 565400)

Interesting can understand what you are saying. I've had dreams about things and knew things the only way it could of been explained is that I had lived at that time.

Was wondering can you swim? You say you think about being on open waters, are you fearful at the same time?

Originally Posted by gaea (Post 565405)

yes i can swim i honestly don't remember a time i couldn't swim seems like i have always known how.

I am not fearful it is more like longing for me even though i have waterbased nightmares. It is difficult and seems somewhat conflicting. I do not really know how to explain it.

Originally Posted by Ciaran (Post 565399)

The stigma was all too real for many years. Although the design and build of The Titanic was likely nothing to do with its sinking, many accusations were made at the time and in subsequent years.

The sinking of The Titanic was of great sadness for the City but it also damaged the City's pride. It is said to have mentally scarred the lives of many of those workers who, rightly or wrongly, felt partly responsible for the disaster. It is said that many took this sense of guilt to their graves.

It's only very recently that, as a people, we've embraced our Titanic heritage and, in part, it's because sufficient time has passed which fades the pain. In fact, I think it's largely because those who worked on The Titanic are now all dead and most of their sons and daughters are dead too so, which we can now celebrate / commemorate that heritage, we don't have the pain of some of our forefathers.


When The Titanic left Belfast in 1912, it was a confident and outward looking industrial powerhouse (Belfast was where the United States established their second overseas consultate / embassy).

However, it was also a time of significant sectarian conflict in the City between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Five months after The Titanic's sinking, more than 440,000 Protestant adults signed the Ulster Covenant at Belfast City Hall, effectively renouncing any form of Irish rule in Belfast, an incredible number given the adult population of the province was considerably less than one million.





Yes, I'm rather biased as I love Belfast so much but it's an incredibly warm and hospitable city that is very definitely worthy of a visit. The Titantic Visitor Centre looks very impressive from the outside and has received excellent reviews. When I last returned to Belfast two weeks ago, it had yet to open but I'm looking forward to visiting it on my next trip home.

Originally Posted by Electrocell (Post 565413)

Have you done any research to find out if anyone was married on that ship?