Description
Here is the one book with all the answers to your questions about the Titanic! Here, too, is the complete, heart-stopping story of the legendary ship—from its building, maiden voyage and tragic sinking, to its high-tech discovery and exploration on the ocean floor. Special features include the making of James Cameron’s movie, Titanic, a true-or-false quiz, and the real-life stories of the young people who sailed on the fateful voyage. Illustrated with dozens of paintings, diagrams, and rare photographs.
“It is the personal detail about the passengers and crew members (Question 340: Were there any movie stars?; Question 483: Did any passengers refuse to enter the lifeboats?; Question 532: What happened to Captain Smith?) that sets this apart from other children’s books about the Titanic. There is a lot to be learned about a notable historical event here, but, in addition, there is attention to the human side and the human scale of things that will make this a useful resource and an interesting read for school and public library collections that need a new or replacement copy of the book. Recommended.”
— CM Canadian Review of Materials
Here are a few of the questions answered:
Whose idea was it to build the Titanic?The idea for the Titanic was born during a dinner party in the summer of 1907. It was held at the London mansion of Lord Pirrie, the chairman of Harland & Wolff shipbuilders, and attended by J. Bruce Ismay, the director of the White Star Line. Cunard’s fast new liner, Lusitania, was the talk of the shipping world. After dinner, Pirrie and Ismay hatched a plan to build three huge ships, each one bigger and more luxurious than the Lusitania. The first ship would be called Olympic, the second, Titanic, and the third, Gigantic. | Was the Titanic the biggest ship ever built?Although the Titanic was the same length and width as its sister ship, the Olympic, it was slightly heavier, which made it the world’s largest in 1912. But bigger ships would soon follow. The German liner Imperator, which sailed in 1913, was 909 feet (277 m) long, and the Queen Mary, which made its first voyage in 1936, was over 1,000 feet (300 m) long. Several of today’s giant cruise ships are even larger. For example, the Grand Princess, with 18 decks, is twice the size of the Titanic. | Was it built to be unsinkable?The hull was built with a double bottom. As a safety feature, it was divided into 16 watertight compartments. The ship could stay afloat with any two of the middle compartments, or four of the first compartments, flooded. Since it was thought that even the worst collision would damage no more than two compartments, the Titanic was considered practically unsinkable. |
Where did they build the Titanic?
The Titanic was built at Harland & Wolff shipyards in Belfast, Ireland. It was one of the largest shipyards in the world, but none of its slips (the sites where ships are constructed) were big enough to hold the new liners. Three of the old slips were combined into two giant new ones. Then a huge new gantry (a large metal framework) was built over the two slipways to aid construction. At 220 feet (67 m) high, it was the largest gantry in the world. The Olympic and Titanic were built side by side, but construction on the Olympic began three and a half months ahead of its sister ship.
Critic Reviews
It is the personal detail about the passengers and crew members (Question 340: Were there any movie stars?; Question 483: Did any passengers refuse to enter the lifeboats?; Question 532: What happened to Captain Smith?) that sets this apart from other children’s books about the Titanic. There is a lot to be learned about a notable historical event here, but, in addition, there is attention to the human side and the human scale of things that will make this a useful resource and an interesting read for school and public library collections that need a new or replacement copy of the book. Recommended. — Ellen Heaney, CM Canadian Review of Materials
“A fantastic book… The 882 1/2 answers in this book truly are amazing — both for the scope of information they cover as well as for the depth of details given.” — CM Magazine
“For all trivia lovers this is a great book of questions and answers… and would prove useful to anyone who has an interest in the topic from young readers through to adults.” — Resource Links
About the Authors
HUGH BREWSTER is the author of several books for children and young adults, including Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World.
LAURIE COULTER is a children’s book author who specializes in historical nonfiction. Her books include To Be a Princess. She lives in Toronto.
KEN MARSCHALL is a painter best known as the world’s foremost creator of Titanic artwork. His books include Titanic: An Illustrated History, a Globe and Mail bestseller. He lives in Redondo Beach, California.
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