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They Put It In Print – Everyone Aboard The Titanic Survived!!?
April 19, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Eternally filed the bin labelled “Don’t Believe Everything You Read” is the report found in the Oakland Tribune, April 15, 1912, that all of the passengers aboard the Titanic survived. Yet another example of newspaper publishers pushing too hard to scoop all others. I wonder if they bothered posting a retraction in the following day’s issue.
They Never Saw it Coming… The Sinking of the Titanic.
December 9, 2022 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
We may at times wonder what happens to a person as they experience a traumatic event. What drives them to react as they do? My brother-in-law, who served as a Marine, once told me that people rarely rise to a higher level of nobility when faced with crisis. They are either overcome by terror, or they default to their training.
As I read through an article covering testimonies of Titanic survivors printed in the Evening Tribune (San Diego) from April 23, 1912 (shown below), while I have no life experience to know firsthand, I had to admit he may be right. After considering the quotes of a lifeboat captain who was being questioned by Congress, it was clear he was surrounded by two types of individuals: your average everyday citizen and ship hands who had been trained to follow orders. Pondering this type situation, I would like to think I would respond differently, but perhaps I should put a bit of preparation alongside of my hope. Of course, how does one prepare for such a calamity?
An unusual two issue set… a disaster and a massacre…
April 11, 2014 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The Set: FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPERS, New York, both dated May 3, 1873.
The Intrigue: A two issue set of the same title with the exact same date? Yes. In regards to standard daily newspapers, especially those printed for major city distribution, it was not uncommon for there to be multiple editions of the newspaper printed on the same day – perhaps a morning and evening edition. However, we have yet to discover a weekly illustrated newspaper who printed more than one version of an issue on the same day. It is this lack of discovery to-date which makes this two-issue set rather interesting. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated apparently printed two nearly identical but different issues for May 3, 1873… each having a different cover. One might think they accidentally reprinted a cover from a previous week for some of the issues, but we have had the other issues surrounding this date, and none of them have either cover in question. Additionally, while the inner pages are almost all the same, there is also another page (pg 125) which is different. Everything else is identical.
If anyone is aware of the background concerning this set, please share.
Note: Additional (and quite interesting) information concerning both front pages may be found at Colfax Massacre and Richmond Switch Disaster (Rhode Island).
The Titanic… and newspapers…
April 11, 2012 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
Advertisement for the return trip back to London.
Few newspapers in 20th century world history are more desired that those which report the sinking of the Titanic. The combination of the scale of the tragedy, it being the maiden voyage of the world’s largest ship, it claiming to be unsinkable, and the loss of some of the wealthiest & more famous names in America, all combine to make for a desirable event. And add to this the tremendous success of the 1997 movie and interest explodes. We find that interest is piquing once more with the re-release of the successful movie, which begs the question: Just what do collectors desire most in this report?
From comments by collectors and what they pay for the best we have offered through the years, the “best of the best” would include:
* As huge a headline as possible. Type with letters 3 issues tall are more dramatic & displayable than those with letters half an inch tall.
* The words “Titanic” and “Sunk” somewhere within the headline. The more dramatic the headline the better.
* A banner headline–which stretches from edge to edge–rather than a two column headline. For many newspapers that was simply not their format. But banner heads have always been more desired than small headlines.
* Not necessarily first reports. Many reports dated April 15 tended to have sketchy reports, smaller headlines, and inaccurate statements. Several noted that the Titanic was being safely towed into port. Issues dated April 16–when more accurate information was known–tended to be not only more historically correct but more dramatic as well.
* Best condition possible. Those which came from bound volumes tend to be in great condition since they were protected within the volume for 100 years. Never-bound issues tend to suffer from wear and staining.
* Complete issues only. Front pages only might be fine for display but maximum desirability is only for issues with all published pages.
* A graphic. Some newspapers used a pre-existing photo of the Titanic. But of more interest are artists’ renditions of what the sinking may have looked like. Some were very dramatic. The larger the better.
* Famous titles such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, etc. tend to have more desirability, but a dramatic presentation will always trump a famous title.
Note: To view a selection of Titanic disaster headlines on Pinterest, go to:
The Titanic Sinks – Historic Newspapers