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| how many people survived the titanic |
The Titanic was one of the most well-known vessels of its time and, to this day, continues to be one of the most well-known disasters of all time.
How Many People Survived the Titanic? The Answer Might Surprise You!
Over 1,500 people were on board the ship when it struck an iceberg and sank in the middle of the night on April 15, 1912. Despite being such a historical event, many people forget that there were over 700 survivors from the ship’s total 2,224 passengers and crew members at the time of its sinking! Did you know that over 200 children were rescued from the Titanic?
The boat was huge
At 882 feet long, 106 feet tall, and weighing an astounding 46,328 tons, it was one of the largest ships afloat at that time. In total there were three classes of tickets: first-class (officers and upper-class passengers), second-class (middle class), and third-class (poor immigrants).
It sank in 20 minutes
More than 1,500 people died in less than two hours. But what’s even more surprising is that survival rates varied depending on social class. Here’s a look at which of these groups had a better chance of survival.
Women and children first
We often think of men jumping into lifeboats and leaving women and children behind, but according to historians, that is not exactly true. The rule was actually women and children first, which means that any woman passenger or crew member had a higher chance of survival than male passengers or crew members. Men were only allowed to board lifeboats once all women and children had been loaded safely. This may have saved up to 100 lives (male passengers/crew) on board ship.
How did they count them all?
Counting a passenger list of over 2,200 is no easy task. If you’re not careful, it’s pretty easy to make simple errors that can skew your numbers. For example, if one person was traveling on three different tickets, how do you account for them in your count? In most cases, historians have gone with a conservative approach: they usually add 10% to their estimates—giving everyone an extra buffer—and then round up.
What happened to the survivors afterwards
There were 705 survivors of the sinking, comprising 705 crew members and passengers on lifeboats, as well as a handful rescued from flotsam. Most survived because they were wearing life vests or managed to grab hold of debris or jump onto other boats in time.
Some conspiracy theories about the sinking.
There are many conspiracy theories about how and why two of Jack's closest acquaintances (Rose DeWitt Bukater and Caledon Cal Hockley) managed to survive, but there is also speculation about whether or not there was a potential romance between Jack and Rose. Historians have also studied other ship accidents to gain more insight into what may have led to more survivors from some tragedies than others.
And some miscellaneous facts about the Titanic
It's interesting to note that, in spite of its name, many men did not survive after surviving a fall into freezing water. According to a study published in 2007 in Anesthesia & Analgesia, survival rates are much lower if victims are submerged for longer than 10 minutes and also when water temperatures drop below 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit). Colder temperatures make it more difficult for humans to retain core body heat.