The 100th anniversary of the loss of the Titanic is just a few weeks away. I’ve always had a strong interest in the subject — and not just the tragic ending. I’ve always enjoyed reading about the ship’s construction and its operation. I’ve always held hopes that one day, some shipping magnate might choose to build the Titanic II (although I doubt it will ever happen — both out of respect to the original ship and maybe a bit of superstition), allowing people to truly experience the size of the ship as well as its luxury. And I know my fascination with the ship is shared with many others around the world — it’s one of those stories that struck me at a young age and still pulls at me whenever new information is discovered and new dives are made.
This week, I’ve got a number of items related to the Titanic to share with you — a few books, a hands-on project, and some digital experiences that I think kids (and adults) will enjoy.
The ship sank in the early morning of April 15, 1912 — that’s what many of us know about the ship (that, and what we’ve seen in the movies). But there were quite a few weeks prior to the sinking where the ship picked up passengers and went through normal day-to-day operations. As we build up to that tragic date, I’d like to share with you a couple of experiences of which you might want to participate.
The first will require a Twitter account (or else frequent checking of the Twitter website). Starting on April 2, 2012, History (Channel) will be tweeting events from Titanic. Of course, Twitter didn’t exist in 1912, but if you choose to follow @HistoryChannel #Titanic, you’ll receive periodic updates, ending with the sighting of the iceberg, the captain and crew’s responses, the initial load of passengers into the lifeboats, and… the ending.
The second item I’d like to share involves Facebook. Using the new Timeline feature, Facebook users who choose to like the History account will be able to read and view some interesting items related to the Titanic in a buildup to the channel’s April 14th 15th TV presentation titled Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved.
There are sure to be a large number of events related to the coming 100th anniversary, so if you know of any special events please share the information in the comments — documentaries, Internet sites, books, videos, etc.
