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Clive Palmer's plans to build Titanic II resurface

Just when you thought we'd exhausted all of the possible billionaire pet projects, Clive Palmer, the Queensland mining magnate with pockets deeper than the Mariana Trench, has once again proven us wrong. For more than a decade now, Palmer has harboured a peculiar obsession: resurrecting the ghost of the Titanic, the world's most infamous maritime disaster. Palmer wants to build Titanic II, because when you've got more money than you can count, why not embark on a maritime venture that's already synonymous with catastrophe? Palmer, with the audacity only wealth can afford, has been pushing for this Titanic replica since 2012. Not content with merely one failed attempt, he launched the project again in 2018. Now, after another six years and a global pandemic, he's dusting off his captain's hat and setting sail once more, announcing the Titanic II's re-launch at the Sydney Opera House (because when you're Clive Palmer, a press conference venue like the local community centre just doesn't cut it). But why, you may ask? According to Palmer himself, it's a simple matter of economics: "I’ve got two options, either give my wife more money for shopping or spend it on the Titanic and I’m spending it on the Titanic because she’s shopped enough." Ah, yes, the age-old dilemma of whether to buy your spouse another designer handbag or fund a one-billion-dollar replica of a ship that sank over a century ago. We've all been there. Despite the naysayers who dismissed Palmer's dream as nothing more than the folly of a rich eccentric, he remains undeterred. Now, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror and cruise ships once again cruising, Palmer sees this as the perfect time to resurrect his Titanic dream. Because what better way to celebrate the end of a global health crisis than by building a monument to maritime tragedy? Palmer assures us that this time around, things will be different. The plans are similar to previous iterations, but now they comply with current regulations. Tenders are being sought, with plans to confirm a shipbuilder by year's end with the intention of setting sail by 2027. And what can prospective passengers expect from this seafaring spectacle? Well, according to Palmer's team, an eight-minute video featuring period costumes and a layout straight out of the early 1900s. Passengers will even be encouraged to dress the part (though that's not compulsory; nothing screams "fun vacation" like wearing corsets and three-piece suits in the middle of the ocean). But fear not, third-class passengers, you won't be left out of this Titanic experience. You'll get to enjoy stew and mash at communal dining tables, just like the good old days. Although, for those who prefer their meals without a side of historical accuracy, other options will be available. In amongst of all this, Palmer has grandiose visions of Titanic II as a symbol of world peace. “We all know how to make war," he announced at the press launch. "We get armies and we fund wars. People know about that. But it is a lot harder to make peace. To make peace you have got to stick with it every day. You progress inch by inch. “Titanic ll is something that can provide peace. It can be a ship of peace between all countries of the world. Millions have dreamt of sailing on her, seeing her in port and experiencing her unique majesty. Titanic ll will be the ship where those dreams come true.” So, as Palmer sets sail on his quixotic quest to recreate history, we can't help but wonder: Is Titanic II a testament to human ingenuity or just another billionaire's folly? Only time will tell. But if history has taught us anything, it's that sometimes, even the grandest dreams can end up at the bottom of the ocean. Images: Rod Eime / Wikimedia

Cruising

Eye-watering price tag for "remarkable" first class Titanic menu

A first class dinner menu from the Titanic has been found and sold at an auction in England for £84,000 (around $162,000 AUD) on November 11. The water-stained menu was dated April 11, 1912 just three days before the ship hit an iceberg, ultimately meeting it's ill-fated end causing over 1500 deaths. Wealthy passengers at the time were spoiled with choice, with oysters, salmon, beef, squab (baby pigeon), spring lamb among other dishes on the menu, and that's not including dessert. Auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son said it was unclear how the menu made it off the ship intact, but the slight water damage suggests that it was recovered from the body of a victim. The rare artefact, which is over 111 years old belonged to amateur historian Len Stephenson, from Nova Scotia, Canada, who passed away in 2017. No one knew he had it, including his family, who only discovered it after going through his belongings following his death. “About six months ago his daughter and his son-in-law, Allen, felt the time was right to go through his belongings,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said. “As they did they found this menu in an old photo album. “Len was a very well thought-of historian in Nova Scotia which has strong connections with the Titanic. The body recovery ships were from Nova Scotia and so all the victims were taken back there. “Sadly, Len has taken the secret of how he acquired this menu to the grave with him.” Stephenson worked at a post office and would talk to people, collect old pictures and write letters for them, which might be how he got the rare artefact. According to the auctioneer, no other first class dinner menus dated April 11, 1912 have been recovered from the titanic making this “a remarkable survivor from the most famous Ocean liner of all time”. “There are a handful of April 14 menus in existence but you just don’t see menus from April 11. Most of them would have gone down with the ship,” Aldridge said. “Whereas with April 14 menus, passengers would have still had them in their coat and jacket pockets from earlier on that fateful night and still had them when they were taken off the ship," he added. A few other items recovered from the Titanic were also sold, including a Swiss-made pocket watch recovered from passenger Sinai Kantor which fetched £97,000 (around $187,000 AUD). A tartan-patterned deck blanket, which was likely used during the rescue operation also sold for £96,000 (around $185,000). Images: Henry Aldridge & Son of Devizes, Wiltshire

Cruising

Dramatic first look at recovered Titan submersible

The first glimpse of the wreckage of the ill-fated Titan sub was revealed on Wednesday, a full ten days after its tragic implosion claimed the lives of all five passengers during a deep-sea expedition to explore the Titanic. Large sections of the submersible were carefully transported to shore, lifted by a crane from the recovery ship upon its arrival in Canada. Despite efforts to conceal it, photographs unveiled the twisted remnants of electronic equipment, along with the distinctive circular window of the nose cone, according to reports from Canada Press. The retrieval operation was carried out by Pelagic Research Services, a US-based organisation. The crew aboard the Horizon Arctic vessel had tirelessly laboured for ten consecutive days, facing both physical and mental challenges. Utilising specialised remote-controlled vehicles, they located the shattered sub approximately 12,500 feet beneath the surface, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage that the Titan sub had set out to explore. The debris retrieved will undergo examination as part of ongoing investigations conducted by authorities in the United States and Canada to shed light on the tragedy. The US Coast Guard has also recovered "presumed human remains" from the seafloor in the area of the Titan submersible's debris field. The remains were recovered "within the wreckage" of the submersible and will be analysed by medical professionals, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Officials believe the Titan sub experienced a "catastrophic implosion" early into its dive on Father's Day. The sub was piloted by Stockton Rush, the CEO of Titan sub, who has since faced growing controversy for allegedly disregarding significant safety concerns while allowing affluent tourists to pay a hefty sum of $250,000 per person for the ill-fated voyage. Images: Twitter

News

Kate Winslet reveals behind-the-scenes secrets on Titanic

Kate Winslet has recounted the time she got Sir Peter Jackson into trouble with security. Speaking to Variety magazine, the Oscar-winning actress says she, her Heavenly Creatures director and his partner, screenwriter Fran Walsh, ran afoul of the authorities on the set of Titanic just over 20 years ago. "I've never told this story," she said of Jackson and Walsh's somewhat brief visit to the Los Angeles set of James Cameron's epic drama. "They were in L.A. and said 'oh, we must come down and see you'. I took them on set on a Sunday afternoon. We got out back, and the security guard said, 'You can't be here'. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to me. They were my friends. What's lovely now is that James Cameron and Peter Jackson have a lot to do with each other because of Weta and Avatar. 'Of course you [Jackson] wanted to come visit! You're so cheeky. Duh.'" Asked what memories she had of the Titanic shoot itself, Winslet said shooting the scene behind the gate where Leonardo Di Caprio's character loses a key was "genuinely scary". "I didn't like shooting that at all". Confessing that she had no idea how big the movie, which came out in December 1997, was going to be, Winslet said she saw the film for the first time at a regular cinema screening in uptown Los Angeles. Absent for the premiere as she was in Morocco filming, Winslet recounted how she put on a baseball cap "because someone told me I ought to do that". "That was a real thrilling experience, to sit and watch a movie that I was in with a proper audience. I hadn't done that before or since." The 42-year-old English actress, currently onscreen in The Mountain Between Us, also contradicted earlier reports that Heavenly Creatures was the only one of her films she'd seen more than once. She told Variety that in fact it was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, because "my children love it". “That's really the only thing of mine they can actually see without their mother taking off her clothes or dying." Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Images: Getty

Movies

6 cruise ship disasters

While a cruise nowadays is a safe way to explore the world in consummate luxury, in the early days catching a cruise ship was by no means smooth sailing. Here are 6 cruise ship disaster stories. 1. The Titanic After colliding into an iceberg somewhere in the North Atlantic the “unsinkable” Titanic sank two miles to the bottom of the ocean. More than 1,500 lives were lost, with the disaster continuing to intrigue. 2. S.S. Eastland In 1915 Western Electric hosted an employee picnic aboard the S.S Eastland on the Chicago River which took an unfortunate turn when the ship tipped over (while still at the dock!). 3. The Norwegian Dawn In a journey between New York City and the Bahamas, The Norwegian Dawn was hit by a 70-foot wave that ended up flooding 62 cabins. Thankfully only two people suffered minor injuries. 4. The Splendor On a seven-day cruise to Mexico the engine room of the Splendor caught fire. The cruise was shortened to three days, and 3,299 passengers didn’t have access to toilets for 13 hours. 5. The Costa Concordia The Costa Concordia unfortunately sank in 2012, after the ship hit shallow seas off the coast of Italy. Navy divers reportedly used explosives to access the inside of the ship, and managed to refloat the vessel to dismantle the wreckage. 32 lives were lost. 6. Carnival Conquest Well, we’re just going to have to take their word for it, but apparently the Carnival Conquest ship is haunted by a tall man in a trench coat, who appears in the middle of the night. Image credits: Getty Images

Cruising

Disaster, opulence, and the merciless ocean: why the Titanic disaster continues to enthral

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristie-patricia-flannery-1220337">Kristie Patricia Flannery</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> The question on many minds this week is why did some of the world’s richest men risk death to venture to the bottom of the sea in a cold and cramped <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/oceangate-titanic-missing-submersible.html">“experimental” submersible</a> for a chance to glimpse the wreck of the Titanic? The “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg is arguably the world’s most well-known boat. The Titanic is recognisable to more of the world’s population than, say, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (Christopher Colombus’s fleet that launched the Spanish conquest of the Americas), or Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour (the tall ship that set in motion the British conquest of Australia). The Endeavour’s long-forgotten wreck was found scuttled off the coast of Rhode Island <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-captain-cooks-ship-endeavour-been-found-debate-rages-but-heres-whats-usually-involved-in-identifying-a-shipwreck-176363">just last year</a>. The Titanic’s maiden voyage and calamitous end was one of the biggest news stories of 1912, and has continued to fascinate us ever since. The disaster inspired songs and multiple films in the twentieth century, including James Cameron’s 1997 epic romance, which long reigned as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films#Timeline_of_highest-grossing_films">highest-grossing film of all time</a>. More recently, Titanic exhibitions that invite visitors to examine relics and <a href="https://titanicexhibition.com/nyc/#sec_instafeed">explore the ship’s recreated rooms have attracted huge crowds in New York, Seville and Hong Kong</a>. <h2>Opulence and immigrants</h2> There are two reasons why we are so drawn to the Titanic, and why the super-rich are apparently willing to part with their money and even risk their lives to catch a glimpse of its broken hull. The first is its opulence. The White Start Line that built the Titanic advertised the ship as the most luxurious ever to set sail. Wealthy passengers paid up to £870 for the privilege of occupying the Titanic’s most expensive and spacious first-class cabins. To put this 110-year-old money in perspective, when the first world war broke out in 1914, infantry soldiers in the British army were paid a basic salary of around £20 per year. Titanic movies and exhibitions are popular because audiences enjoy the voyeurism of gazing on the ship’s beautiful furnishings, the stunning clothes worn by its rich and beautiful passengers, and their elaborate meals in fancy restaurants. First-class passengers feasted on <a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article-abstract/9/4/32/93511/The-Night-the-Good-Ship-Went-Down-Three-Fateful">multi-course dinners</a> with salmon, steak, and pâté de foie gras. Chefs in Australia and around the globe occasionally <a href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/titanic-dining-experience">recreate Titanic meals</a> for curious clients. Hundreds of poor immigrant passengers, represented by Jack (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in Cameron’s movie, were also aboard the Titanic. They lived in crowded quarters and enjoyed less thrilling meals such as boiled beef and potatoes. If their ilk were the only people on board the Titanic, the ship would arguably have faded quickly from memory. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/erAQ9LkftwA?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>The power of the sea</h2> The fact the Titanic was touted as unsinkable also adds to its allure. The ship, whose name evoked its massive size, was engineered to cheat the ocean. When it departed England it symbolised man’s domination over nature. At the bottom of the Atlantic, it serves as a visceral reminder of the indomitable sea’s awesome power. The same two factors - the excess of the voyage, and its defeat by the sea – are now driving the current global interest in the Titan submersible disaster. Few world events garner so much attention, including statements from Downing Street and the White House, and live news blogs from The New York Times and the Guardian. The Titan, like the Titanic, commands our attention because of its obscenely rich passengers, who each reportedly paid US$250,000 (or between four and five times the average US salary) to visit the wreck of the famous ship that battled the sea and lost. And then there is the intriguing mystery and power of the sea. News outlets are publishing helpful graphics that try to teach our terrestrial brains to comprehend just how deep the ocean is, and how far below the sea’s surface the Titanic and possibly the Titan lie. <h2>The limits of human knowledge</h2> Last night I spied <a href="https://neal.fun/deep-sea/">Neal Argawal’s Deep Sea</a> website circulating on social media. The site allows viewers to scroll from the sea surface to the sea floor, diving down past images of various marine animals that inhabit different oceanic depths. At 114 metres is an orca, and 332m marks the the deepest depth a human has ever reached using SCUBA gear. It takes a lot of scrolling to descend to the Titanic almost 4,000m below the waves. Besides gross income inequality, reflecting on the Titan and the Titanic invite us to confront just how little we can “see” of the sea in this age of mass surveillance. Not even the powerful US navy, assisted by the Canadian, UK and French governments, can muster the resources and technology required to locate, let alone rescue, the missing submersible. As the sea seems to have swallowed yet another ship, we are reminded of limits of human knowledge and mastery over the ocean.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208200/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristie-patricia-flannery-1220337">Kristie Patricia Flannery</a>, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/disaster-opulence-and-the-merciless-ocean-why-the-titanic-disaster-continues-to-enthral-208200">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

Surprising cause of death revealed for missing Titan sub crew

The five trapped passengers on the missing Titan submersible are believed to be dead after searchers discovered a “debris field” on the ocean floor. The debris found is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said. The first significant piece of debris found was the tail cone of the Titan — located about 487m from the bow of the Titanic. “In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Mauger said. Five pieces of debris were discovered by authorities. Undersea expert Paul Hankin said discovering the front bell of the Titan’s pressure hull within the debris field was the first sign of a “catastrophic event”. The Titan <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/search-underway-for-tourists-missing-on-titanic-submarine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost communication</a> with its support ship just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the Titanic wreckage. Mauger said in the early stages it’s difficult to tell how soon after losing contact the submersible was likely to have imploded. He also said investigations of the debris field will continue as they search for answers as to how, why, and when the implosion occured. “I will just remind everybody this is something that happened in a remote portion of the ocean with people from several different countries around the world, so it is a complex case to work through,” he said. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operated the Titanic-bound submersible, said on June 22 — four days after the dive commenced — that it believed all five people on board are dead. “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” OceanGate said. “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.” Mauger added he hoped the discovery of the debris gave the passenger's families some “solace during this difficult time”. “I offer my deepest condolences to the families, I can only imagine what this has been like for them.” Two of the Titanic-bound passengers Harding and Nargeolet were both members of international organisation The Explorer’s Club. Following the company’s announcement that those on board are presumably deceased, Club president Richard Garriott de Cayeux said, “Our hearts are broken”. “Hamish Harding is a dear friend to me personally and to The Explorers Club. Paul-Henri Nargeolet was elected to the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts on submersible expeditions to the Titanic. “They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind.” Garriott de Cayeux also said that OceanGate chief executive Rush had conducted lectures at the Club’s headquarters in New York City. “Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.” Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Services, a co-owner of the Polar Prince — the Titan’s support vessel that was first to notify authorities it had lost communication with the sub — offered condolences to the passenger's families. “We are saddened by today’s tragic news as we have continued to work towards and hold out hope for their safe return,” it said. The University of Strathclyde in Glasgow confirmed that 19-year-old Suleman Dawood was a student. “To the Strathclyde community, I write to you with a heavy heart to share the news that one of our students, Suleman Dawood, is a passenger on board the submersible that is missing in the North Atlantic,” the university said. “Suleman is a Strathclyde Business School student and has just completed his first year with us.” The University has not yet commenced after the news of Suleman’s death. Image credit: Getty

News

Eerie link between OceanGate pilot and Titanic disaster

A chilling link has been discovered between pilot Stockton Rush, who was onboard the OceanGate submersible, and the Titanic disaster in 1912. Mr Rush, who was at the helm of the vehicle bound for the Titanic wreckage, has a personal connection to two of the victims who were onboard the Titanic when it sank over 100 years ago. His wife, Wendy Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of Isador Straus, who co-founded Macy’s department store, and Ida Straus, who were among the wealthiest people aboard the Titanic’s ill-fated transatlantic voyage, according to archived records obtained by the New York Times. The Strauses have long been remembered for their display of love and affection when the ocean liner hit the iceberg before infamously sinking in the North Atlantic, claiming the lives of more than 1500 people. Survivors of the disaster reported seeing Ida refuse a place on the lifeboats, which were reserved largely for women and children, and decided to stay onboard the sinking vessel with her husband of more than 40 years. Their tragic love story was depicted in James Cameron’s fictionalised version of the tragedy, his 1997 blockbuster Titanic, which features a scene showing an elderly couple holding on to each other in bed as waters rise around them. Wendy Rush is descended from one of the couple’s daughters, Minnie Strauss, who married Dr. Richard Weil in 1905, and their son, Richard Weil Jr., served as president of Macy’s New York, His son, Dr. Richard Weil III, is Wendy Rush’s father, Joan Adler, the executive director of the Straus Historical Society. Isador’s body was found at sea weeks after the Titanic sank, but his wife’s body was never recovered. Wendy also worked for OceanGate as their communications director, with her LinkedIn indicating she had been on several trips to the wreckage of the Titanic herself. The OceanGate submersible <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/surprising-cause-of-death-revealed-for-missing-titan-sub-crew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly imploded</a> hours after it went missing, with all five people on board believed to be dead. Image credits: OceanGate / Wikimedia

Family & Pets

Nat Barr stuns retired navy expert with blunt Titan query

Sunrise host Natalie Barr has weighed in on the missing Titan submersible, posing a question that appeared to take an experienced - and retired - US Navy submarine commander by surprise. Barr was speaking to David Marquet about the vessel - which went missing in the North Atlantic with five passengers onboard and only 96 hours of life support - and its dangerous predicament. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/search-underway-for-tourists-missing-on-titanic-submarine">Rescue teams have been racing</a> against the clock and fighting difficult search conditions in a bid to locate the Titan submersible after it went missing on a journey to explore the sunken wreckage of the Titanic. And while <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/encouraging-signs-in-search-for-missing-sub">reports of banging</a> from deep beneath the ocean’s surface have offered some a glimmer of hope - and others a sense of dread - the high-stakes situation has crews on edge, and left many wondering what had led to the decision to descend, for the Titan’s passengers and owners alike. Reports have begun to circulate that the Titan had been plagued with safety concerns prior to this trip, and during former dives, and Barr sought more information from Marquet on that matter. “We are still hearing all the things people are saying about why they should not have gone,” she said. “The passenger window was only certified to go half the depth that it went. “Should they be there in the first place?” The to-the-point question appeared to stun the ex-commander, who needed to take a moment before proceeding with his answer. “They are adults, and they made a decision. It’s hard to question the judgement,” he said, before going on to note that the CEO of OceanGate - the company responsible for the missing vessel - had been one of the five people onboard, “so obviously he believes in the equipment.” “Knowing what I know,” Marquet added, “what it takes to keep nuclear submarines running, you would not be finding me on that ship, but it’s easy after-the-fact to find criticism.” He then shared that while he did have an appreciation for people who chose to push “the envelope in terms of exploring and innovation”, that “sometimes they push a little too far”. The “still possible” search for the Titan continues, though the US Coast Guard have stated that it has less than 24 hours of available air remaining, and even if they are able to locate the submersible, massive challenges still lie ahead in retrieving it from the conditions so far below the surface. Images: Sunrise / Seven

News

Missing Titanic sub: what are submersibles, how do they communicate, and what may have gone wrong?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stefan-b-williams-1448728">Stefan B. Williams</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> An extensive <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65953872">search and rescue operation</a> is underway to locate a commercial submersible that went missing during a dive to the Titanic shipwreck. According to the US Coast Guard, contact with the submersible was lost about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, with five people onboard. The vessel was <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/titanic-submersible-search-oceangate-expeditions-vessel-missing-as-us-coast-guard-launches-search/9d7352d8-6a6d-4dc1-afac-ce07dc63cea3">reported overdue</a> at 9.13pm local time on Sunday (12.13pm AEST, Monday). The expedition was being run by US company OceanGate as part of an eight-day trip with guests paying US$250,000 per head to visit the wreck site. As of <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/americas/live-news/titanic-submersible-missing-search-06-19-23/h_c2b5400daf8538d8717f50c619d762ac">Monday afternoon</a> (Tuesday morning in Australia), US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said the watercraft likely had somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours of oxygen available to the passengers. The Titanic’s wreck sits some 3,800 metres deep in the Atlantic, about 700km south of St John’s, Newfoundland. Finding an underwater vehicle the size of a small bus in this vast and remote expanse of ocean will be no small feat. Here’s what the search and rescue teams are up against. <h2>OceanGate’s Titan submersible goes missing</h2> Submersibles are manned watercraft that move in a similar fashion to submarines, but within a much more limited range. They’re often used for research and exploration purposes, including to search for shipwrecks and to document underwater environments. Unlike submarines, they usually have a viewport to allow passengers look outside, and outside cameras that provide a broader view around the submersible. The missing submersible in question is an OceanGate <a href="https://oceangate.com/our-subs/titan-submersible.html">Titan</a> watercraft, which can take five people to depths of up to 4,000m. The Titan is about 22 feet (6.7m) in length, with speeds of about 3 knots (or 5.5km per hour). Although submersibles are often connected to a surface vessel by a tether, video and photos suggest the Titan was likely operating independently of the surface ship. According to OceanGate’s website, the Titan is used “for site survey and inspection, research and data collection, film and media production, and deep-sea testing of hardware and software”. It also has a “real-time hull health monitoring (RTM) system”. This would likely include strain gauges to monitor the health of the Titan’s carbon fibre hull. A strain gauge is a kind of sensor that can measure applied force and small deformations in material resulting from changes in pressure, tension and weight. The Titan’s carbon fibre hull connects two domes made of composite titanium – a material that can withstand deep-sea pressures. At 3,800m below sea level (the depth of the Titanic) you can expect pressures about 380 times greater than the atmospheric pressure we’re used to on the surface of the earth. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532840/original/file-20230620-23-c6k9lo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Several tube like shapes on a rectangular concrete platform underwater" /></a><figcaption>Titan on the launch platform underwater, awaiting a signal to commence the dive. <a class="source" href="https://oceangate.com/gallery/gallery-titan.html#nanogallery/titangallery/0/4">OceanGate</a></figcaption></figure> <h2>Communication and rescue efforts</h2> The Titan would have had an acoustic link with its surface vessel, set up through a transponder (a device for receiving a sonar signal) on its end, and a transceiver (a device that can both transmit and receive communications) on the surface vessel. This link allows for underwater acoustic positioning, as well as for short text messages to be sent back and forth to the surface vessel – but the amount of data that can be shared is limited and usually includes basic telemetry and status information. The Titan is a battery-operated watercraft. Given it has lost all contact with its surface vessel, it may have suffered a power failure. Ideally, there would be an emergency backup power source (such as an independent battery) to maintain emergency and life support equipment – but it’s unclear if the missing vessel had any power backup on hand. According to reports, at least two aircraft, a submarine and sonar buoys were being used to search for the vessel. The sonar buoys will be listening for underwater noise, including any emergency distress beacons that may have gone off. One of the major challenges in the rescue effort will be contending with weather conditions, which will further shrink an already narrow search window. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532842/original/file-20230620-49349-cnzdk6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A dark blue image with a tube like shape floating in the lower third" /></a><figcaption>Titan commencing a dive to 4,000m underwater. <a class="source" href="https://oceangate.com/gallery/gallery-titan.html#nanogallery/titangallery/0/1">OceanGate</a></figcaption></figure> <h2>What might have happened?</h2> In a best case scenario, the Titan may have lost power and will have an inbuilt safety system that will help it return to the surface. For instance, it may be equipped with additional weights that can be dropped to instantly increase its buoyancy and bring it back to the surface. Alternatively, the vessel may have lost power and ended up at the bottom of the ocean. This would be a more problematic outcome. The worst case scenario is that it has suffered a catastrophic failure to its pressure housing. Although the Titan’s composite hull is built to withstand intense deep-sea pressures, any defect in its shape or build could compromise its integrity – in which case there’s a risk of implosion. Another possibility is that there may have been a fire onboard, such as from an electrical short circuit. This could compromise the vehicle’s electronic systems which are used for navigation and control of the vessel. Fires are a disastrous event in enclosed underwater environments, and can potentially incapacitate the crew and passengers. Time is of the essence. The search and rescue teams will need to find the vessel before its <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230331121053/https://oceangateexpeditions.com/tour/titanic-expedition/">limited supplies</a> of oxygen and water run out. There’s an ongoing debate in scientific circles regarding the relative merit of manned submersibles, wherein each deployment incurs a safety risk – and the safety of the crew and passengers is paramount. Currently, most underwater research and offshore industrial work is conducted using unmanned and robotic vehicles. A loss to one of these vehicles might compromise the work being done, but at least lives aren’t at stake. In light of these events, there will likely be intense discussion about the risks associated with using these systems to support deep-sea tourism.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208100/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stefan-b-williams-1448728">Stefan B. Williams</a>, Professor, Australian Centre for Field Robotics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/missing-titanic-sub-what-are-submersibles-how-do-they-communicate-and-what-may-have-gone-wrong-208100">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Technology

Search underway for tourists missing on Titanic submarine

An expedition submersible, better known as the Titan, has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean with five people on board. The group had set out as part of their eight-day venture to explore the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, with the company behind the trip - OceanGate Expeditions - boasting it as a “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary”. However, around one hour and 45 minutes after commencing the dive - approximately 600 km off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and roughly 4 km below the ocean surface - the Canadian research vessel that they were working with, the Polar Prince, reportedly lost contact with them, and hasn’t been able to re-establish communication. Coast Guards have confirmed that a search is underway, with Lt Samantha Corcoran explaining that they were “just trying to use all efforts and work with international partners to try to get any resources out there to safely locate all five individuals.” The last photo of the vessel - a 6.4-metre, 23,000 pound submersible - was taken early on the morning of its disappearance, with fog and wet weather conditions apparent, as it was being taken out into the water on a barge between two dinghies. Weather had not been ideal through the season, with British billionaire and “mission specialist” for the Titan team Hamish Harding noting that it had been “the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years” in a post to social media ahead of the trip. “This mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023” he added. “A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtmxGHvs1yE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtmxGHvs1yE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Capt. Hamish Harding (@actionaviationchairman)</a> </div> </blockquote> Harding’s step son had taken to Facebook in the wake of the disappearances to write “thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his Submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. “Search and rescue mission is underway.” And while he later removed the post, the search continued, with OceanGate Expeditions making a statement about their efforts, explaining that the company was “exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely. “Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families. “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible. “We are working toward the safe return of the crew members.” Those crew members consisted of Harding, French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet, OceanGate Expeditions chief executive and founder Stockton Rush are also on board the sub, and two others. And while there is “a comprehensive approach to try and locate this submersible” underway, according to First District Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, “it is a large area of water [around the wreckage] and it’s complicated by local weather conditions as well”. Mauger shared that they believed the vessel had not surfaced, an element that made their search endeavour a more complicated process, as the coast guards were thereby forced to use sonar to search below the surface. Time is of the essence too, as the missing submersible was designed with just 96 hours of “emergency capability”, leaving rescuers with a limited window to local the crew and bring them back to safety. As Mauger told the media, “we anticipate there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point.” Images: Instagram

News

13 Titanic mysteries that may never be solved

Was it even the Titanic? Everyone agrees that a luxury liner set sail on April 10, 1912, and sank five days later, taking the lives of around 1500 of the 2223 passengers aboard. But that’s pretty much where the consensus ends. Some insist the ship that sank wasn’t the Titanic, but rather, the nearly identical R.M.S. Olympic. As the story goes, the Olympic had been damaged in an accident the year before, but in order to score a bigger insurance payoff, the ships’ common owners passed off the Olympic as the Titanic and then deliberately sank it. While there are lots of holes in this Titanic theory, serial numbers found on parts of the ship that didn’t sink support it. Did a fire actually seal the ship's fate? A recent documentary offers credible evidence that the Titanic (let’s just call it that, for argument’s sake) had been damaged by a coal fire, which had been raging for three weeks before the ship even set sail. The damage would have weakened the hull of the ship, thus hastening the ship’s sinking when it collided with an iceberg. (If it collided with an iceberg, which is another Titanic mystery we discuss below.) Why was the captain speeding? For decades, people believed that Captain Smith was speeding through the iceberg-heavy waters of the North Atlantic because he wanted the Titanic to cross the Atlantic faster than her sister ship, the Olympic. But in 2004, the Geological Society of America published an academic paper by engineer Robert H. Essenhigh with a different theory: It claimed the real reason the Titanic’s captain was speeding was to burn coal as quickly as possible in order to control the coal fire mentioned above. What caused the ship to break into two pieces? On September 1, 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage four kilometres below the ocean surface, along with the surprising news that the ship had broken in two before sinking. Previously, everyone had thought that the ship sank intact after colliding with an iceberg while speeding recklessly through icy waters near the coast of Newfoundland. Ballard’s discovery led to a new theory: that the ship’s splitting into two pieces, which “may have been the difference between life and death,” was the result of design flaws and the skimping on quality materials by the owners and/or builders. Did a torpedo sink the Titanic? Most believe that the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on April 14 (regardless of other contributing factors). But not everyone. Some think that the Titanic was torpedoed by a German U-boat. This theory doesn’t seem all that far-fetched considering that three years later in 1915, a German U-boat did sink a passenger ship, the Lusitania. However, it’s possible that torpedo theorists are confusing the Titanic with the Lusitania. It’s also possible that they’re confusing the Titanic with the Olympic, which had sustained damage after colliding with a military vessel in 1911. Still, the presence of several other ships in the vicinity of the Titanic’s sinking leaves the question open. Was there even an iceberg? Assuming the Titanic didn’t collide with, and wasn’t torpedoed by, another ship, it’s safe to believe that it hit an iceberg, right? Not necessarily. Professional mariner Captain L.M. Collins maintains that if the Titanic had hit an iceberg, it would have gone down in mere minutes. Instead, Collins and his followers believe that the Titanic must have hit a hidden floe of “pack ice” (multi-year-old sheets of ice floating near the ocean surface) that had made its way into the Atlantic from the Arctic Ocean. Collins points out discrepancies in eyewitness accounts, which may actually be due to various natural optical illusions. If only the crew had binoculars, right? Why didn't the crew have binoculars? Surely, if the crew had binoculars, they would have seen the danger in time to change course. But the Titanic’s entire supply of binoculars was locked away in a storage compartment. And a crew member who had been transferred off the ship just before it set sail had the key. The crew member later claimed he “forgot” to hand over the key. But did he forget? Or did he deliberately hold onto it? And if so, was it to further the insurance fraud mentioned above? Or was it something else entirely? If there was a warning, why didn't anyone take it seriously? Even without binoculars, the Titanic might have had time to change course before its collision if someone had warned the crew. But here’s the thing: Someone did warn the crew. An hour before the collision, a nearby ship, the S.S. Californian, had radioed to say that it had been stopped by “dense field ice.” However, the Titanic’s radio operator, Jack Phillips, never conveyed the warning to Captain Smith. Some say the message was deliberately conveyed as “non-urgent,” but we will never know for sure since Phillips went down with the ship. Did the Californian have something to do with it? This cruise liner was less than 20 kilometres away from where the Titanic sank. It sent a warning to the Titanic about the dangerously icy conditions, which may have been relayed as a non-urgent matter. Later, the Californian crew reportedly ignored the Titanic’s distress signals, although they claimed they were not aware of those signals because their radio operator had gone off duty. Did the Californian really not notice what was happening within plain view? The "third" ship The Californian may not have been the only ship that ignored the Titanic’s distress signals. A Norwegian ship, the Samson, may have been nearby as well. In fact, some believe that the Samson was closer to the Titanic than the Californian but ignored her distress signals in order to avoid prosecution for illegal seal-hunting. This is a popular theory among defenders of the Californian’s captain, but whether it’s true remains a mystery. Did J.P. Morgan plan the whole thing? Some who believe the Titanic took the place of the damaged Olympic blame financier J.P. Morgan, who was one of the owners of the company that owned both ships. Morgan was one of the wealthiest people on the planet at the time, and he wielded considerable power. In addition, he was a last-minute no-show on the Titanic’s sole voyage. Why did Morgan – and his entire family – not end up on the ship? Did he know what was going to happen? Did he plan it? Was it a murder plot? Some believe the sinking had nothing to do with insurance money, but rather that J.P. Morgan engineered the sinking to kill off his rivals: Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus, and Benjamin Guggenheim, all of whom perished aboard. But how did Morgan plan to pull it off? Neither the insurance theory nor the murder theory takes that into account. Why weren't there enough lifeboats? “No matter what caused the Titanic to sink, such a massive loss of life could probably have been avoided if the ship had carried sufficient lifeboats for its passengers and crew,” notes History.com. So then why did the uber-luxury liner have only 20 lifeboats, the legal minimum? Why did the ship’s owners decide to ignore recommendations to carry 50 per cent more lifeboats? If the sinking were “merely” an insurance scam, how can the devastating lack of lifeboats be explained? This seems to dovetail more with a murder plot. But it also could be nothing more than cost-cutting on the part of the ship’s owners. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/13-titanic-mysteries-that-may-never-be-solved-2?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Cruising

“A titan of the Australian art world”: John Olsen passes away at 95

Celebrated Australian artist John Olsen has passed away at the age of 95, surrounded by his loved ones. Olsen’s children - daughter Louise and son Tim - were with him, and it was Tim who confirmed the news of their loss to The Sydney Morning Herald. “Apart from our First Nation artists, he changed the perspective and way that Australians looked at our magnificent landscape,” he said. “He was a landscape poet to the end, and a titan of the Australian art world.” Olsen, who was born in Newcastle in 1928, was considered a legend within the Australian art community. An expert across different mediums - from ceramics to tapestry, printmaking, and his beloved painting - his career spanned six decades, and saw him win both the Archibald Prize in 2005 as well as the Wynne Prize in 1969 and 1985. His accolades didn’t stop there, with Olsen earning an OBE in 1977 for his services to the arts, as well as becoming an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2001. “It took a lot of courage to be an artist in those days and he had no hesitation but to run with it and in art he found his calling,” Tim said of his father’s career, and his well-earned achievements. Those in the art community - and beyond - who had the honour of knowing Olsen and his work paid tribute to their friend, and to his impressive portfolio highlighting the beauty of the Australian landscape - a subject which he kept coming back to throughout his career, and one that steered Olsen on his path to inspire people all across the nation. "Sad news,” wrote journalist Hugh Riminton. “I doubt there's any Australian whose eye has not been caught by his work at some point. “John Olsen captured the very best of our country in the most magical way. In losing John, we have lost one of the greatest artists Australia has ever seen,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns, alongside a portrait of Olsen. “And someone who tirelessly championed the arts, as a pivotal part of Australia's cultural identity. A proud boy from Newcastle.” “John Olsen captured the raw beauty of Australian landscapes with his unique style,” tweeted Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek. “His bursts of colour and sweeping landscapes have helped shape how we see ourselves as a country.” “Vale John Olsen,” wrote The National Portrait Gallery, before adding that they were “deeply saddened by the passing of John Olsen AO OBE. A gifted painter, John was one of the major figures of twentieth-century Australian art.” “John Olsen was a giant who never lost the twinkle in his eye,” said Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “A man of talent, charisma, generosity and humility, he was a poet of the brush, a truly great explorer and interpreter of the Australian landscape.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> John Olsen was a giant who never lost the twinkle in his eye. A man of talent, charisma, generosity and humility, he was a poet of the brush, a truly great explorer and interpreter of the Australian landscape. We were so lucky to have him. May he rest in peace. <a href="https://t.co/UcPEq1TAt1">pic.twitter.com/UcPEq1TAt1</a> — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1645936332794122240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> Images: Getty, Twitter, John Olsen

Art

Movie myths meet movie maths

Some moments on the screen stay with us forever, but not always for the right reasons. For some avid film and TV fans, there are certain scenes that have left us scratching our heads, inspecting from every angle, and making frame-by-frame comparisons to try and come up with an answer that tells us what we want to hear. After all, we’ve all had our say over that infamous door and those two fated souls in the middle of the ocean, haven’t we? Luckily, those in the know - mathematicians - have put their brains to the task of solving it for us, sharing their findings as they debunk some of the screen world’s more memorable moments. <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The door, Titanic (1997) </li> </ol> Could Jack have fit on the door too? Could Rose have saved him? Such questions have sat with fans of the blockbuster film Titanic since its release, when the end of the film saw Rose and Jack trying to save themselves with a scrap of the ship’s debris - a door - in the middle of the freezing North Atlantic Sea. As anyone who’s seen the film could tell you, Jack gave up his spot so that Rose might survive, but many have refused to accept that this was necessary. They believe, instead, that Jack could have fit there with her, ultimately saving them both from further tragedy. And a group of girls at school in Adelaide believe they know exactly how it could have been done. The solution? Sliding their life jackets beneath the door. “We looked at how buoyant the door would have been, and how that would have changed if there were people on top of that,” 15-year-old Abigail explained to The Daily Telegraph, adding that “there was a lot of exploring and testing, and we had to fiddle with different buoyancies and look at what materials were realistic for that time.” <ol start="2"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The jump, Speed (1994) </li> </ol> From start to finish, Speed is a wild ride. And while many questions about the logistics of the high-speed action bus ride have arisen since the film’s release, one tops the list more often than not - could Jack really have made that jump? At one point in the film, Jack and his runaway bus - which he must keep travelling at a speed of just over 80km/h to prevent the entire thing from exploding - are faced with an incomplete road, and he is forced to make the jump over the gap to give himself and his passengers any hope of survival. While the film’s characters succeed, and make it out of there alright, the people at ZME Science were not quite so eager to leave it at that. Instead, they have studied the scene, and put the likelihood of survival in such a situation to the test. With a few handy equations and crucial bits of info - the gap was 15m, their speed 108km/h - they came to the conclusion that the bus more than likely would have fallen into the gap, rather than landing safely on the other side. This, of course, means that the detonation would have occurred, and the outcome would have been drastically different to what transpired on the screen. <ol start="3"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The bullet, The Matrix (1999) </li> </ol> While The Matrix is held in high regard by many cinema enthusiasts, from its concept alone to its iconic fight scenes, there are those who’ve come out of the films with a few more questions than what its creators ever intended. Namely, questions over how exactly Neo managed to dodge that bullet. While attempting to save Morhepus from Agent Smith, Neo goes head-to-head against agents in a rooftop fight. A shot is made at Neo, and he deftly dodges the potentially fatal wound by bending all the way back, with the bullet clearing the air above him, leaving him unscathed. It’s a scene that wowed audiences worldwide with its slow motion approach, and its attention to detail, but for one mathematician, it was exactly this that drew her curiosity. Could Neo actually have pulled that off? According to Kerry Cue, the answer is no. After working out the distance between Neo and the agent (roughly 12m), the logistics of the weapon, and the speed at which it was moving, Kerry worked her way to her conclusion. The bullet itself would take 0.04 seconds to get to Neo. And as a human’s average reaction time is 0.25 seconds, it’s impossible that Neo would have been able to make that impressive save in the real world. <ol start="4"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The sofa, Friends (1994-2004) </li> </ol> Would pivoting really have helped Ross, Rachel, and Chandler get that unfortunate sofa up the stairwell of their New York apartment building? In the heat of the moment, Ross certainly seemed to think so, but as fans of the sitcom know, their efforts were in vain. Unable to complete their mission, the friends opted to cut it up instead. Some weren’t satisfied with this ‘easy’ way out, and one mathematician put her brain to the test trying to prove that it would have been a possible feat to accomplish. And it was - if only the trio had bothered to take measurements. Caroline Zunckel - a data science consultant - ran approximately 10,000 different simulations using various measurements for both the stairs and the couch, all to prove her point. Luckily for her, she discovered that she was right, and that the furniture only required some tilting upwards to get around that problem corner. Images: Shutterstock

Movies

Titanic at 25: like the ship itself, James Cameron’s film is a bit of a wreck

When it was released 25 years ago, James Cameron’s Titanic was enormous. It made stars of its two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Reviews overwhelmingly heaped praise not only on the technical aspects of the film but also the acting and storyline. In 1997, Titanic was, in the oft-quoted line from the film, “king of the world!” At the time we were all swept up in the romantic tale of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, the star-crossed lovers whose infatuation on the doomed ship ended when Jack made the ultimate sacrifice, freezing in the icy Atlantic to save his truly beloved. But over the years, critics and audiences alike have re-examined the film and found, like the ship itself, it is a bit of a wreck. When it was originally released, a <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/image/258048661/?clipping_id=97758112&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjI1ODA0ODY2MSwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzQ2NDQ1LCJleHAiOjE2NzU0MzI4NDV9.zwnunz556NCc1QF_m4T6QFNTGu2W4b00ograrsGd8Fg">small</a> <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/image/175704135/?clipping_id=97762030&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE3NTcwNDEzNSwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzQ2NTYxLCJleHAiOjE2NzU0MzI5NjF9.pkc0x_OXwU9EdMc-d95Q6-aXrCOMQf7Sf8ph9svWrv0">number</a> of <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97760857/titanic-1/">critics</a> deeply disliked Titanic. Today, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/titanic/reviews?page=3&type=user">more and more</a> people are re-evaluating their originally positive response to the film and are changing their opinions. From the characters, to the story, to the ending, there are a number of issues with Titanic that appear questionable at best, and deeply unsettling at worst. It’s even gone far enough that <a href="https://thetempest.co/2016/09/28/entertainment/5-reasons-titanic-is-the-worst-movie-ever/">some critics</a> are calling it the worst film ever made – but that may be taking it too far. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7c1etV7D7g" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <h2>An unhealthy obsession</h2> At the beginning of the film, we find upper-class Rose being forced into marriage with “Cal” Hockley by her widowed mother, Ruth, to save the family fortune and keep their status in society. So unhappy with her situation, Rose decides to jump from the ship. She is rescued by the penniless drifter, Jack. So begins the plot of the film as the pair constantly run and hide from the authorities to be together. Jack’s relentless pursuit of Rose around the ship is obsessive. We learn virtually nothing about the character of Jack Dawson apart from him being a poor orphaned artist, he wants Rose, and he will do anything to have her – even though they’ve only known each other for a few days. Is this a healthy relationship? Rose is only 17 years old and possibly too inexperienced to identify a stalker or manipulator. Influenced by Jack’s charm, Rose turns against her mother, fiancé and pretty much everyone else in her life. And how could she not? On board the Titanic, almost every wealthy and upper-class person is portrayed as a villain while the people in third class, or steerage, are shown as a salt-of-the-earth, decent and virtuous. Rose’s fiancé is at every turn just a mean, callous man who cares nothing for Rose or for anyone but himself. Even when the ship is sinking, the officers on board discriminate against the steerage passengers, ensuring only the well-to-do board the lifeboats – just one of the many <a href="https://screenrant.com/titanic-james-cameron-historial-inaccuracies-right/">historical inaccuracies</a>. All of the upper-class characters we meet on Titanic get little screen time, apart from when they are being desultory, cruel or malicious. They appear two-dimensional, lacking meaningful emotions. <h2>True love?</h2> One of the main themes of the film, that true love goes on beyond death, also appears overly sentimental and simplistic in modern times. We understand young teens often lack maturity in relationships and often <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/love/young-love-can-be-a-confusing-emotion/">mistake</a> lust or infatuation for love. Would Jack and Rose’s relationship have lasted if Jack had survived? He was broke with no visible means of support. She was 17. Their love affair is a fantasy of no responsibility while on board the ship. Where would it have gone in the real world? This directs us to another issue. Rose survives the sinking and goes on to marry another man and have a family with children and grandchildren. However, when Rose dies at the end of the film her “spirit” descends to the wreck of the ship where she is reunited with the “love of her life” Jack. Surely this is a slap in the face to her deceased husband and family. She lived her entire life with these people, yet the film ends up with Rose in the afterlife with someone she knew for a few days. <h2>Filled with holes</h2> Often, critiquing films with modern sensibilities can be unfair. However, Titanic includes a fair number of issues that, even considered with the social mores of the time in which it was made, appear problematic. This does not take away from the enjoyment many people have gained from the film over the years, and its technical brilliance. But it does give increased weight to the critics who spoke against the film in 1997. Like the ship itself, the film Titanic is a relic of a different time. Revisiting it can make you wonder why you never noticed the holes in it in the first place. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/titanic-at-25-like-the-ship-itself-james-camerons-film-is-a-bit-of-a-wreck-199171" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Movies

"You heard it here for the first time": Kate Winslet settles 25-year Titanic debate

Kate Winslet has finally weighed in on what is arguably the biggest debate in cinematic history: was there room for Jack on the floating door at the end of Titanic? The actress, who plays Rose in the film and got prime position on the famous piece of debris, has given her take on if there was space for Jack, played by Leo DiCaprio before his demise. Speaking on the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/happy-sad-confused/id827905050">Happy Sad Confused Podcast</a>, the 47-year-old actress said, "I don’t f**king know. That’s the answer. I don’t f**king know.” "Look, all I can tell you is, I do have a decent understanding of water and how it behaves." Drawing on her experiences with water sports like paddle boarding, scuba diving and kitesurfing, she says she has a decent understanding of how the ocean behaves. "If you put two adults on a stand-up paddle board, it becomes immediately, extremely unstable. That is for sure," she said. "I have to be honest. I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door. I think he would have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea." "So, you heard it here for the first time," she exclaimed. "Yes, he could have fit on that door. But it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t." The debate resurfaced in recent weeks after Titanic director James Cameron commissioned a forensic analysis on the famous scene. Speaking to the <a href="https://torontosun.com/">Toronto Sun</a>, Cameron said he got experts to replicate the scene in order to "put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all." He said, "We took two stunt people who were the same body mass as Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was - there was no way they both could have survived. Only one could survive." Image credits: Paramount Pictures / Getty Images

Movies

The Titanic compared to modern day cruise ships

The Titanic was a marvel of its time, but as the years have passed cruises have continued to evolve. In this infographic we compare the size of the Titanic to modern cruise lines. It’s interesting to see just how cruises have evolved over the years! To see the whole infographic, scroll down. <img width="500" height="714" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/18614/cruise-infographic_500x714.jpg" alt="Cruise Infographic (1)"/> Image credit: Pinterest / Dee Brown Related links: <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/03/how-to-make-cruise-ship-towel-animals/">How to make cruise ship towel animals</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/03/inside-worlds-biggest-cruise-ship/">Inside one of the world’s biggest cruise ships</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/02/can-the-historic-queen-elizabeth-2-cruise-ship-be-saved/">Can the historic Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship be saved?</a>

Cruising

How many of these facts did you know about Titanic?

No matter when they were released, it’s always exciting to find fun facts about movies. Now OverSixty has taken a close look at the 1997 film Titanic starring Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Titanic, a romance and adventure movie, focuses on the sinking of the RMS Titanic, as told by Rose DeWitt Bukater. The film begins with men trying to locate a stunning blue diamond, known as the Heart of the Ocean, that sank with the Titanic. The crew uncovered a safe and inside found random papers and a nude drawing of a woman, Rose, wearing the necklace. Their discovery was aired on TV which prompted Rose to contact the crew and reveal she is in fact still alive and she is the woman in the drawing. From there, she is flown in and retells her story on board the Titanic. Below are a few interesting facts about the film, just in time for you to message your friends for a rewatch. After finding out that she had to be naked in front of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet decided to break the ice and flashed him the first time they met. The scenes from 1912 during the film have a length of two hours and forty minutes - the exact time it took the Titanic to sink. When the ship collided with the iceberg, it took 37 seconds before sinking, which is the same length as the scene in the movie. The scene at the Grand Staircase where water crashed into the room had to be done in one shot because all the furniture was going to be destroyed making it impossible for a second shot. Jack drawing Rose naked is an iconic scene. But did you know Leonardo DiCaprio did not actually sketch it? It was in fact director James Cameron’s hands used and a mirror had to be used to show it as if he were right-handed like Jack. Dedicated to their roles, both Kate and Leonardo learned the polka dance for the crazy party in third class. Image: YouTube

Movies

Kate Winslet sells Titanic NYC apartment

Kate Winslet is known for many things, and her glorious NYC apartment that ties all the way back to her first major movie, Titanic, is one of them. The Oscar award-winning actress has officially offloaded the stunning home though for a whopping $6.8 million. The sprawling duplex, located in West Chelsea, was purchased by the star back in 2004 with her former husband, Sam Mendes. Now on her third marriage, billionaire Richard Branson’s nephew, Edward Abel Smith, it seems the star is finally ready to let the incredible place go. The stunning apartment is just over 280 sq m, and features over four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. The loft also has a spacious 160 sq m deck, which in NYC standards, is a glorious amount of room. It has all the bells and whistles too, with a built-in gas fireplace, chef’s kitchen, wide-plank oak floors, 4m-tall ceilings and endless built-in shelves for storage and display. The main bedroom also has a huge walk-in wardrobe.

Real Estate

Quirky items that fetched millions at auction

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that certainly rings true for people who have spent tonnes of cash on some really odd things. Here, we round up the weirdest, and a few of the coolest, things people have paid big money for. Have a look and see if you would have done the same! <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837652/01-art-basel-miami-usa-05-dec-2019-770.jpg" alt="A banana duct-taped to a wall" data-udi="umb://media/6062a14a239c4842b72dc1dec910f3f8" /> <ol> <li> A banana duct-taped to a wall</li> </ol> It’s hard to say what is art anymore. One may think of the Mona Lisa, while another might value, say, a banana duct-taped to a wall. We’re not being cute. That is literally what someone bought at the Art Basel art fair in Miami recently. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial piece, titled Comedian, sold for a whopping $120,000. The point of the piece, said the gallerist who sold the pricey fruit, was to question what “art” is. Looks like someone found the piece rather a-peeling, after all. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837651/02-violin-played-as-titanic-sank-sells-for-900000-wiltshire-britain-20-oct-2013-770.jpg" alt="The last violin played on the Titanic" data-udi="umb://media/5b3a386ddaa14a29804c079b3c90a397" /> <ol start="2"> <li> The last violin played on the Titanic</li> </ol> One of the most memorable tales from the tragic sinking of the Titanic is the eight-piece band that played until the end. Led by English musician Wallace Hartley, the band played their instruments as the ship sank into the frozen waters of the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to help soothe scared passengers. According to CNN, “Hartley’s body was reportedly pulled from the water days after the April 1912 sinking with his violin case still strapped to his back.” More than a century later, in 2013, Hartley’s damaged violin was sold at an auction for $1.7 million in less than 10 minutes. It is the most expensive artefact linked to the doomed ship. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837653/04-john-lennon-shutterstock-524008o-e1578497425466-770.jpg" alt="John Lennon’s toilet" data-udi="umb://media/2cdaff7d7bfa4c66bf34c5341a391711" /> <ol start="3"> <li> John Lennon’s toilet</li> </ol> Imagine all the ways you can spend your money…and then think about this. One Beatles fan spent nearly $15,000 on a flowered porcelain toilet once owned by John Lennon. The luxe loo came from an English estate owned by Lennon and Yoko Ono. When Lennon had the toilet replaced, he told the builders “to put some flowers in it or something,” according to the auction catalogue. The estate, Tittenhurst Park, was where Lennon recorded his legendary Imagine album and film. Hopefully, the toilet was as inspiring to its new owner! <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837654/05-queen-victorias-undies-7039790b-770.jpg" alt="Queen Victoria’s undies" data-udi="umb://media/a3bba379744946149c046f6fb712e919" /> <ol start="4"> <li> Queen Victoria’s undies</li> </ol> And speaking of bathroom inspiration, cotton knickers owned by Queen Victoria (Queen Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother) sold in 2015 for $16,300. Embroidered with her royal initials, “VR” for Victoria Regina, the undies were in pristine shape, having been wrapped in tissue and kept in a temperature-controlled room. There was something unique about these roomy drawers, which boasted a 114cm drawstring waist. “On these particular knickers, there is a chevron section, which is where they were taken up slightly as Queen Victoria got older and essentially she shrunk in stature,” auctioneer Richard Edmonds told People.com. “That element got the collectors really excited, because you can then date them quite specifically to the last 10 years of her life.” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837655/06-elvis-presleys-hair-music-icons-auction-by-juliens-los-angeles-america-22-jun-2012-770.jpg" alt="A lock of Elvis Presley’s hair" data-udi="umb://media/e50824ffb48c4fb6af997aa80226b918" /> <ol start="5"> <li> A lock of Elvis Presley’s hair</li> </ol> A hunka, chunka hair from the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, sold for $115,000 to an eager fan back in 2002. Saved from his barber, who also used to dye his sandy-blonde hair jet black, the trimmings had been kept in a plastic bag since the singer’s death in 1977, until they were sold for a king’s ransom. Other big-ticket Elvis items that sold at auction include his 24-carat gold-leaf grand piano; his peacock jumpsuit; and one of his very first recordings of a song called “My Happiness,” which was bought by White Stripes musician Jack White. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837656/07-white-dress-worn-by-marilyn-monroe-in-film-the-seven-year-itch-sells-for-4-6million-los-angeles-america-jun-2011-770.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe’s white dress" data-udi="umb://media/501546eb4f3c468a94cb5d294bfe098e" /> <ol start="6"> <li> Marilyn Monroe’s white dress</li> </ol> It was the dress that launched a thousand gasps. Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white halter dress, which she wore in The Seven Year Itch, sold in 2011 for a whopping $4.6 million. The dress – which was famously blown up while she stood over a subway grate – made Monroe a certified sex symbol. It also made actress Debbie Reynolds some major bucks when she sold it. Reynolds, the iconic star of Singing in the Rain (and also Carrie Fisher’s mum), was a huge collector of vintage Hollywood gowns, and Marilyn’s made her a pretty penny. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837657/08-songwriters-hall-of-fame-annual-induction-and-awards-gala-arrivals-marriott-marquis-hotel-new-york-usa-13-jun-2019-770.jpg" alt="Justin Timberlake’s leftover French toast" data-udi="umb://media/44029608333c496b9ac50a08bcd82f73" /> <ol start="7"> <li> Justin Timberlake’s leftover French toast</li> </ol> Twenty years ago, a young band member from NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, was interviewed by the Z100 morning show in New York City when he left some of his uneaten French toast behind. The station’s DJ jokingly put two slices of it for sale on eBay, where it was sold to a teenage girl named Kathy Summers for $1,025. When asked what she would do with the leftover and slightly burned toast, the teen fan said, “I’ll probably freeze-dry it, then seal it…then put it on my dresser.” Mmmm… a wise investment, indeed. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837658/09-damien-hirst-exhibition-tate-modern-london-britain-02-apr-2012-770.jpg" alt="A dead shark in formaldehyde" data-udi="umb://media/92f6a7d11ab04a1691ee03df6da5a728" /> <ol start="8"> <li> A dead shark in formaldehyde</li> </ol> Weird art always seems to sell well and big. (See item one on this list.) But a piece by British contemporary artist Damien Hirst really takes the shark. Hirst is known for his obsession with death, seen in his high-priced and macabre styles of art. In 2004, he sold a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde, titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, for a reported $8 million. The 22-tonne shark, which is obviously dead but kept scarily preserved, embodies life, death and just what its title aptly describes. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837662/01-albert-einstein-gettyimages-544750041-o60.jpg" alt="Albert Einstein’s theory on happiness" data-udi="umb://media/b55dbd43f1d4478fb402c48e324e1077" /> <ol start="9"> <li> Albert Einstein’s theory on happiness</li> </ol> A Japanese bellboy received the tip of a lifetime when he made a delivery to physicist Albert Einstein in 1922. Einstein was in Tokyo on a book tour when he found out he’d won the Nobel Prize. Overwhelmed by the honour and attention, Einstein put some of his thoughts to paper, which he gave the bellboy when he couldn’t find change for a tip. “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness,” Einstein wrote in German on a piece of hotel stationery, according to the New York Times. On the second paper, he wrote, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The two papers, his take on happiness, sold at a 2017 auction in Israel for $1.56 million and $250,000, respectively. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837659/11-auction-jeff-koons-new-york-usa-03-may-2019-770.jpg" alt="A giant steel rabbit" data-udi="umb://media/7d20e9bfc8a74e468e1fe1ddff23e3fc" /> <ol start="10"> <li> A giant steel rabbit</li> </ol> And we’re back with some really expensive art. A 90cm stainless steel rabbit created by the artist Jeff Koons in 1986 sold at auction in 2019 for the breathtaking price of $91 million. It went to Robert E. Mnuchin, an art dealer and the father of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and it set the world-record price for a work by a living artist. The rabbit is considered one of the most iconic works of art of the 20th century, and a blow-up version of it appeared in the Macy’s Day parade in 2007. The work has influenced generations of artists, even the aforementioned Damien Hirst. And on a funny side note, when Koons was deciding on what animal to sculpt a likeness of, he almost chose a pig. It seems like the bunny paid off. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837660/12-truman-capote-shutterstock-6651421a-770.jpg" alt="Truman Capote’s ashes" data-udi="umb://media/ea15b52150ef4978b69cc65f0e3e97af" /> <ol start="9"> <li> Truman Capote’s ashes</li> </ol> The author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood certainly did love an adventure, and so maybe it’s not that big of a surprise that his ashes continue to have a life of their own. Housed in a Japanese wooden box, the writer’s remains belonged to Capote’s longtime friend Joanne Carson – ex-wife of the famed late-night talk-show host Johnny Carson – until her death in 2015. (Capote died in 1984.) The ashes have had quite a ride, having been stolen once before and luckily returned, until they were finally sold for $45,000 in 2016, to an anonymous buyer who promised: “that Truman will continue his adventures.” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837661/13-leonardo-s-exhibit-new-york-usa-770.jpg" alt="Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester" data-udi="umb://media/a999ec5f51ae449d9028a43ffcd4c3fa" /> <ol start="10"> <li> Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester</li> </ol> While most people associate Leonardo da Vinci with his paintings, like The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, da Vinci was also a scientist and engineer whose notes about inventions and thoughts on the planet (its origin and end) were captured in a journal titled the “Codex Leicester.” In 1994, Bill Gates purchased the journal for $30.8 million at auction, a price that made it one of the most expensive books ever sold. Da Vinci’s ideas and musings in the Codex are written in his famous mirrored cursive writing, and it’s currently on loan to museums and schools across the United States. Images: Shutterstock / Getty Images Written by Robyn Moreno. This article first appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/13-quirkiest-items-that-sold-for-millions-at-auctions" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank">here’s our best subscription.</a>

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