The Titanic in Popular Culture

Disasters at sea have always fascinated us. The massive loss of life occurring with a great ship swallowed by unforgiving waters sends shivers down the spine of anyone who has ever taken a lengthy voyage. There have been hundreds if not thousands of these disasters, but one in particular springs to mind immediately when the topic is broached: the R.M.S. Titanic, which sank in the North Atlantic while on its maiden voyage, April 15, 1912. Oddly enough, it was not the worst maritime calamity in history. Indeed there are several ships that sank with a far greater loss of life. But only the Titanic has generated the public’s intense interest as evidenced by the hundreds of stories, poems, songs, feature films and TV shows based on her tragic demise. Our program will take a deep dive into the event and why it became so firmly embedded in the public’s consciousness.