Today, the Titanic is commonly remembered for the famous film it inspired, but it's important to recognize that the ship's disastrous end by an iceberg, in the early years of the 20th century, was a monumental tragedy that took countless lives. While people usually focus on the artistic renderings of the great ship sinking, it's quite different to see the serene calmness of the photo above, taken in Southampton, England, in the first week of April 1912. The Titanic was docked in this place for seven days, according to Irish Central. Soon afterward, it took off on the horrifying voyage that would destroy 3,500 sacks of mail, rob 500 Southampton families of a loved one, and take the lives of over 1,500 passengers, according to Business Insider.
Hearing the numbers is one thing, and it's easy to feel distanced from disasters that occurred over a century ago, but seeing the people in this photo puts reality into sharp focus. Notice the size and scale of the Titanic in relation to its surroundings, and see how tiny the people aboard the ship look. In its time, History reports that the Titanic was the largest movable man-made vehicle in the world, and its launch from this same dock soon caused a media blitz, with over 100,000 people standing by to see it depart. None of those crowds, or the people in this picture, had any idea that this grand human achievement would soon become a human tragedy.
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