11 Curious Titanic Facts Even Die-Hard Fans Probably Missed

The Titanic remains one of the most iconic ships ever built, celebrated for its grandeur and remembered for its tragic end. At the time, it was the largest moving man-made object on Earth and was even equipped with a gym, a heated swimming pool, and its own onboard newspaper. While many know about its ill-fated maiden voyage and heartbreaking sinking, there’s much more beneath the surface. Here are 11 captivating and lesser-known facts about the Titanic that may surprise you.

1. The iconic “Heart of the Ocean” necklace from Titanic continues to captivate audiences decades after the film’s release.

While the necklace in the movie was a stunning blue diamond, the actual prop used during filming was made with gold settings and colored glass instead of precious gems. This cinematic piece inspired real-life recreations, including a 171-carat sapphire version worn by Celine Dion at the 1998 Oscars. The allure of this fictional jewel has persisted, with modern interpretations still making waves.

In 2024, singer Sam Smith wore a dazzling recreation featuring a 40-carat blue topaz surrounded by diamonds during a BBC Proms performance, proving that the Titanic’s most famous piece of jewelry remains an enduring symbol of romance and tragedy in popular culture.

2. Lindsay Lohan could have played Cora, Jack’s “best girl.”

Lindsay Lohan, who was just 8 years old at the time, nearly landed the role of Cora, the young girl Jack dances with on the lower deck. She auditioned for the part, but director James Cameron ultimately chose someone else. His concern was that Lindsay’s red hair might lead audiences to confuse Cora with Rose and her mother Ruth, who were also redheads.

3. The story of the Navratil brothers.

Michel and Edmond Navratil were young brothers who were kidnapped by their father and placed on the Titanic as he sought to start a new life in America without their mother. Despite the ship’s tragic fate, the brothers, who were just 2 and 4 years old at the time, survived the disaster. Their mother saw their photo in a newspaper and was subsequently reunited with them. The two boys were the only unaccompanied children rescued from the ill-fated ship.

4. Game of Thrones was filmed in the same studio where the Titanic was originally constructed.

The RMS Titanic was constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Interestingly, the Game of Thrones television series was also filmed in Northern Ireland, with many scenes shot at the Paint Hall Studios in Belfast. This studio, once part of a shipyard and industrial complex, was repurposed as a major television and film production facility.

5. Matthew McConaughey could’ve played Jack in Titanic.

Matthew and Kate Winslet first appeared on-screen together during a test recording to evaluate their on-screen chemistry. After the shoot, Matthew received a congratulatory hug from a crew member, leading him to believe he had secured the role. “I really thought I got the part,” he recalled.

However, the part ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio’s portrayal of Jack Dawson was chosen for his romantic, wholesome, and charismatic presence, which perfectly matched the character’s vision.

6. The story of Violet Constance Jessop.

Violet Constance Jessop was a stewardess and nurse who remarkably survived two major maritime disasters. She first endured the sinking of the Titanic and later lived through the Britannic’s destruction under similar circumstances. Additionally, Jessop narrowly escaped death when the RMS Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke, a naval vessel, in 1911.

7. Rose’s “door” wasn’t actually a door.

One of the most discussed scenes in Titanic involves Rose lying on what appears to be a floating door while Jack braves the icy waters. Many viewers have debated whether both characters could have fit on this piece of debris. However, it turns out that Rose’s “door” was not a door at all, but rather a door frame. This particular piece of wreckage closely resembles the most famous complete artifact from the actual Titanic, which is currently on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Nova Scotia.

8. Third-class passengers had to share just two bathtubs among them.

Despite having better accommodations than on many other ships of the time, the third-class quarters on the Titanic were still extremely cramped and minimalistic. According to ABC News, between 700 and 1,000 third-class passengers had to share only two bathtubs.

9. 2 books seemingly predicted the Titanic tragedy.

The second book, Futility or the Wreck of the Titan, by Thomas Andrews, was published in 1912, just months before the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

to eerily predict the tragedy. The first, How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid-Atlantic: By a Survivor, was written in 1886 by W.T. Stead, a notable spiritualist and investigative journalist. The story describes an ocean liner striking an iceberg and sinking with significant loss of life.

Both books strikingly mirror the real-life sinking of the Titanic in several ways, including similarities in the ship’s name, size, the absence of sufficient lifeboats, and the cause of the disaster—hitting an iceberg. These coincidences have led many to speculate that the books might have been prophetic or a form of premonition.

10. Only one could survive.

James Cameron, the director of the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, has recently put an end to the longstanding debate about whether Jack and Rose could both fit on the door in the film. Cameron conducted a scientific study to resolve the issue and concluded that “only one could survive” in the iconic door scene.

He explained that they used two stunt people with the same body mass as Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Equipped with sensors and placed in ice water, they tested various survival scenarios. The results indicated that it was impossible for both characters to survive on that door; only one could have made it.

11. Rose’s dog has a deep connection with the true story.

Elderly Rose cradles a Pomeranian in her arms — a detail that wasn’t chosen at random. Director James Cameron included the dog as a tribute to the animals that survived the Titanic disaster. Of the three dogs that made it off the ship, two were Pomeranians. During the actual sinking, passengers were said to have released their pets. Cameron even filmed scenes depicting this, but they didn’t make it into the final cut of the movie.

These Titanic facts are just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned for our next article, where we’ll uncover surprising mistakes in Titanic — the kind only the most eagle-eyed viewers have noticed.