The sinking of the RMS Titanic in the early morning of 15 April 1912, four days into the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, was one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history, killing more than 1,500 people. The largest passenger liner in service at the time, Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board when she struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The ship had received six warnings of sea ice but was travelling at near maximum speed when the lookouts sighted the iceberg. Unable to turn quickly enough, the ship suffered a glancing blow that buckled the starboard (right) side and opened five of sixteen compartments to the sea. The disaster caused widespread outrage over the lack of lifeboats, lax regulations, and the unequal treatment of the three passenger classes during the evacuation. Inquiries recommended sweeping changes to maritime regulations, leading to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (1914), which continues to govern maritime safety.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1638: A rebellion by Catholic Japanese peasants in Shimabara over increased taxes was put down by the Tokugawa shogunate, resulting in greater enforcement of the policy of national seclusion. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabara_Rebellion> 1738: Serse (audio featured), an opera by Baroque composer George Frideric Handel loosely based on Xerxes I of Persia, premiered in London. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serse> 1936: A group of Arabs in British Mandatory Palestine killed two Jews at a roadblock, an act widely viewed as the beginning of the violence within the Arab revolt. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Tulkarm_shooting> 1958: On Walter O'Malley's initiative, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants played in the first Major League Baseball game on the U.S. West Coast. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_O%27Malley> 1995: At a GATT ministerial meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities signed an agreement to establish the World Trade Organization. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: Leonardeschi: A group of artists who worked in the studio of, or under the influence of, Leonardo da Vinci. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Leonardeschi> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: He who thinks little, errs much. --Leonardo da Vinci <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
