Most significant Titanic-related event since the sinking

[Dan Kappes]

Out of these three:

1. The publication of Walter Lord's 1955 book A Night to Remember, an accurate minute-by-minute retelling of the sinking and its film adaptation 3 years later

2. The finding of the wreck in 1985 by Robert Ballard

3. The release of James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, in which an almost full-scale accurate replica of the ship was built for it and it became the most expensive and the highest-grossing film in history at that time, winning 11 Academy Awards

All three events rekindled interest in the Titanic in the decades they happened in.

 

[Kodos the Executioner]

There are always books that specialize about historical minutiae.
Cameron's movie doesn't get made, *unless*...

So I say #2. None of this... the mass marketing, the movies, this site... happens unless she's found in 1985.
To quote Ballard upon seeing the images on the Argo cameras; "The sucker exists!!"

Cheers,

Kodos//
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"Mr. Lowe! Take a bosun's party and a master-at-arms, and get those children off the foc'sle railing at once!"

 

[Alex Kiehl]

4. My historical fiction novel about the disaster, if I ever finish the darn thing. Oh well.... *sigh*

 

[Tim Gerard]

I think nothing is more significant regarding the Titanic since the sinking than Bob Ballard finding the wreck in 1985. We learned a lot about what really happened to the ship once the wreck was found and could start to be studied, such as discovering that the did break in two while sinking when it was previously thought to have sank in one piece.

 

[Michael C Brady]

I would have to say the wreck's discovery.
Isn't it true that Cameron was hoping for an excuse to photograph the wreck - and from that came his push to make a feature film?

~Mike

 

[Dave Gittins]

For me, one of the most important results of finding the wreck was that it enabled us to revise the tale of Carpathia's rescue mission. The distance covered becomes less than 58 miles and the imaginary and unrealistic 17.5 knots disappears.

 

[Kurt Urbain]

Cameron said the publicity from using wreck footage in the film would be worth the price tag; I’d say he was right, he got great footage and went deeper into the wreck than ever before, and with the money he made from the ‘97 film went back in ‘01 and went even deeper.

 

[Julian Atkins]

I would highlight 6 in order of time:-

Walter Lord's book ANTR in 1955.

The subsequent Rank film ANTR released in June 1958

Captain Lord deliberately opening a big can of worms in visiting the MMSA offices in Liverpool in July 1958 and announcing to Harrison "I'm Lord of The Californian"

The release in the 1960s of the original Board of Trade files at Kew, previously kept secret

Bissett's 'Tramps and Ladies' in 1959.

As a 6th, and very important, is all those who ensured the Titanic 2 Inquiry transcripts became available online as a reference source.

Cheers,

Julian

 

[Eric Paddon]

Have to agree that the 1985 discovery of the wreck is the most seminal moment in Titanic history afterwards. ANTR was significant from the standpoint of keeping the story in the public consciousness in a new way, but in terms of transforming our understanding of what happened, the discovery did that because no more could any of us who were Titanic buffs fancifully dream about ways of seeing the ship actually raised and towed to New York like in Clive Cussler's novel and the 1980 movie (the Titanic was also "raised" in Arthur C. Clarke's 1976 novel "Imperial Earth").

 

[Arun Vajpey]

I do not believe that #1 and #3 have any particular "significance" in themselves.

The discovery of the Titanic wreck by Ballard et al in 1985 on the other hand, was extremely significant. However, I do not consider the discovery itself as the most significant since some team was bound to do it sooner or later. In my view, the discovery that the ship had indeed broken-up before complete sinking is the most significant event because it opened-up a completely new chapter in the physics and forensics involved and also, to some extent at least, changed the credibility of some witness statements at the time of sinking.

 

[PRR5406]

The discovery of the wreck and the further exploration and recovery of artifacts from the ocean bed. Ballard's big mistake was in NOT bringing back some tangible objects for Titanic historians to oogle. Putting regular people in touch with the "night to remember" has been a huge gift to we who are empathetic to the lost souls.

 

[Dawnf28]

Definitely the discovery of the wreck, without it the movie would have not been so good!

 

[Isis]

Titanic related event? I would say the trial that happened straight after, and also the changing of the laws so ships have enough lifeboats for all passengers. In more recent times, probably the discovery of the wreck in '85 and also Cameron's movie, which brought a huge amount of attention to the topic.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Definitely the discovery of the wreck, without it the movie would have not been so good!

Without it the movie would never have been made.