Titanic facts
The Building of the RMS Titanic
The Titanic was the product of intense competition among rival shipping lines in the first half of the 20th century. In particular, the White Star Line found itself in a battle for steamship primacy with Cunard, a venerable British firm with two standout ships that ranked among the most sophisticated and luxurious of their time.
Cunard’s Mauretania began service in and quickly set a speed record for the fastest average speed during a transatlantic crossing ( knots or mph), a title that it held for 22 years.
The Titanic's Structure
Cunard’s other masterpiece, Lusitania, launched the same year and was lauded for its spectacular interiors. Lusitania met its tragic end on May 7, , when a torpedo fired by a German U-boat sunk the ship, killing nearly 1, of the 1, people on board and precipitating the United States’ entry into World War I.
Did you know? Passengers traveling first class on Titanic were roughly 44 percent more likely to survive Titanic history.