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Wen 丨 Nine Nine
Editor丨Shen Wei Guan Shi
The Titanic, known as "unsinkable", sank to the bottom of the sea after hitting an iceberg during a voyage in 1912, killing nearly 1,500 people and recovering only more than 300 remains. This sea-stricken disaster that shocked the world destroyed countless families.
But in this tragedy, 8 rich people "luckily escaped" for various reasons and did not board the doomed ship. Who are they? Why did you "miss" this flight?
Ephemeral brilliance lasting memory
In April 1912, the Titanic built by the British White Star Shipping Company, in the world's attention and anticipation, set off from Southampton, England, to start its maiden voyage to New York, USA.
This luxurious ship, known as "unsinkable", had the largest size in the world at the time, and its interior facilities and decoration were unprecedentedly luxurious. For celebrities and nouveau riche at the time, being able to travel on the Titanic was a supreme symbol of honor and status.
However, this virgin journey, which was pinned on high hopes and fame, ushered in a sudden disaster on the fourth night after departure.
In the late evening of April 14, when the Titanic was sailing in the North Atlantic Ocean, it collided with an iceberg, and the hull was instantly broken in two, and the watertight compartment inside began to flood rapidly.
At this critical moment, the captain and staff tried their best to organize a rescue, but most of the passengers were still helpless, and sank in the icy sea along with the "unsinkable" luxury ship.
This sudden disaster eventually led to the death of 1,517 of the 2,224 passengers and crew, and only 707 people were rescued. The remains of many of the victims have not yet been recovered and lie in the North Atlantic Ocean at a depth of more than 3,000 meters. This is undoubtedly one of the worst maritime disasters in the history of human shipping.
At that time, the tickets of the Titanic were very difficult to buy, and there was even a situation of resale, and some unlucky tickets eventually flowed to some ordinary passengers who were not rich through various channels such as gambling.
As a result, the Titanic includes people from all walks of life, from top rich and celebrities, to young people who are just starting to develop their careers in the United States, and even some civilians with little future. They were full of hope and expectation for this trip, but unexpectedly ushered in a cruel fate.
After the shipwreck, people also noticed that the 8 rich people who were originally scheduled to board the Titanic did not board the ship for various reasons, so that these people escaped by luck. Who are they? And what is the reason for the lucky ones?
Lucky couple
The Fricks were originally on the passenger list and planned to spend a pleasant vacation aboard the Titanic. But just before setting sail, Mrs. Frick accidentally sprained her ankle and was unable to board the boat.
In order to take care of his ailing wife, Frick had no choice but to give up the trip. Perhaps it was this small accident that allowed them to escape. Mr. and Mrs. Frick have been living a small life since their marriage, Mrs. Frick likes to take care of flowers and plants at home on weekdays, and Mr. Frick is busy with his own steel business.
The sprained ankle was a small misfortune for Mrs. Frick, but perhaps it was this small misfortune that saved her from a great disaster.
Another couple, Hershey, was forced to abandon the Titanic trip because of some problems with their business in the United States. As pioneers and founders of the American confectionery industry, the Hirschers amassed a fortune that they wanted to use the voyage to meet more partners.
But business matters, and they can only give up this opportunity to return home to deal with affairs. Perhaps it was this that allowed them to avoid this shipwreck. Mrs. Hershey has been dedicated to developing the confectionery business, Mrs. Hershey is good at creating new recipes for chocolate, and Mr. Hershey is good at planning production from a business perspective.
Although the order problem in the United States made them miss the Titanic journey, it also helped them respond to business problems in a timely manner. Perhaps it was through this little hint that the gods of fate kept them away from the torrent of disaster.
Novelist and inventor
Dreiser, born into a huge family, was the tenth child in the family and his parents showed limited attention to him. After his father's business failed, Dreiser's first experience of the hardships of life.
In order to make a living, he tried various jobs, which accumulated rich material for his future writing. But at the beginning of the 20th century, he had not written something that satisfied him for some time.
In 1912, Dreiser's first trip to Europe was expected to return home on the luxurious Titanic. But his publisher felt it was too expensive and persuaded him to take cheap tickets instead. In the end, Dreiser, following the publisher's advice, missed the doomed Titanic.
If Dreiser's board the Titanic, the rising star of literature would have died in this disaster. His masterpieces "The Financier", "The Giant", "Genius", "The Tragedy of America" may never come out. It was the publisher's "picking" that spared the literary world a huge loss.
Unlike Dreiser, Marconi was not a natural scholar. He has been fascinated by electromagnetic waves since he was a child, but has spent most of his time self-taught in his private lab.
At the age of 20, Marconi saw Hertz's research and immediately plunged into radio experiments. With the support of his family, Marconi finally developed a simple radio device through continuous experimentation.
This achievement was recognized by his father, Marconi received more funding, hired professors to answer doubts, and he continued to improve the device, eventually inventing wireless telegraphy. The invention played an important role in a shipwreck in 1909, for which Marconi won the Nobel Prize.
Before the Titanic set sail, Marconi had planned to take it, but he needed to write a paper. In order to find his stenographer, Marconi chose to leave early, and as a result, he survived.
If Marconi is killed, the development of radio technology may lag significantly behind. Marconi's stenographer eventually helped him complete his thesis and gave Marconi the opportunity to continue his outstanding contributions to the field of radio.
Bankers and plutocrats
John Pierpont Morgan, one of America's richest and most influential bankers. In 1907, a severe financial crisis broke out in the United States, and many large banks were under pressure to fail.
Morgan used his reputation and influence to contact other bankers and raise $25 million, successfully saving the U.S. banking system. The operation, known as "Morgan's gamble," brought his fame to the highest point.
He also led American Electric Power and U.S. Steel, where he created GE and U.S. Steel, two Fortune 500 companies, through mergers and acquisitions. Morgan is known as the "King of Money" because of his influence in the financial world.
At that time, Morgan was already one of the majority shareholders of the White Star Shipping Company, which belonged to the Titanic. As an investor in the company, he had already been awarded a top-of-the-line suite on the luxury cruise ship.
Originally, Morgan planned to board the Titanic himself and enjoy the maiden voyage of this newly built cruise ship. However, just a few days before setting sail, Morgan met his old friend John Pierpont Morgan from the United States in the south of France.
Since his friend knew little about France, Morgan decided to stay with his friend for a few more days to let his friend know more about the customs of France, so he changed his ticket a few days later. It was this small itinerary adjustment that allowed Morgan to avoid this Titanic-related disaster.
Another financial tycoon destined to be associated with the Titanic is William Vanderbilt. At the end of the 19th century, the Vanderbilt family was one of the richest and most powerful families in the United States, with family businesses in railroads, shipping, coal mining and other fields.
William inherited the family business and developed his career to the top. However, he believes that too much wealth will only corrupt future generations, so he actively divides the family property, leaving future generations facing challenges and pressures.
After learning the news that the Titanic was about to make its maiden voyage, the adventurous William immediately purchased a first-class ticket. He plans to experience first-hand the maiden voyage of this luxury cruise ship that is known as "unsinkable".
However, just the day before setting sail, William suddenly developed symptoms of dizziness, so severe that he could not stand and walk. As a last resort, he had to give up boarding. Five days later, when Vanderbilt learned from the newspaper that the Titanic had sunk after hitting an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people, he couldn't help but feel afraid.
He was thankful that he couldn't board the ship, as it probably saved his life. This incident made him realize that man's stewardship of fate and disaster is so weak and small.
Two financial industry leaders may have been in the same boat, but in the end they were unable to board this ship that was destined to be entangled with disaster due to various circumstances. Although none of them are really far from the scythe of death, they at least avoid this painful memory related to the Titanic first.
Whether it was due to good luck or bad luck not being able to board the Titanic, those people avoided the disaster by fate.
We often say that life is equal, but in the face of the cruelty of fate, who can accept it calmly? Perhaps it is precisely because we know that everything has a certain number that we should cherish the present even more.
We can never predict how much warm tomorrow there is in life, but as long as we do our best to treat the people around us today, we may be able to bring a glimmer of hope to tomorrow. Fate will eventually give everyone a different arrangement, but compassion and love can defuse the worst.