Seven Famous People Who Missed the Titanic

The notables who planned to sail on the fateful voyage included a world-famous novelist, a radio pioneer and America’s biggest tycoons

  • By Greg Daugherty
  • Smithsonian magazine, March 2012
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Theodore Dreiser Guglielmo Marconi Milton Snavely Hershey J. Pierpont Morgan Henry Clay Frick Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Milton Snavely Hershey

(AP Photo/The Hershey Library via the Patriot-News)


Milton Snavely Hershey

The man behind the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Syrup, and the Pennsylvania city that bears his name had spent the winter in France and planned to sail home on the Titanic. The Hershey Community Archives has in its collection a $300 check Hershey wrote to the White Star Line in December 1911, believed to be a 10 percent deposit toward his stateroom, according to archivist Tammy L. Hamilton. Fortunately for Hershey, business back home apparently intervened, and he and his wife instead caught a ship that was sailing earlier, the German liner Amerika. The Amerika would earn its own footnote in the disaster, as one of several ships to send the Titanic warnings of ice in its path.

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One of the most famous religious figures of the 20th century to miss the journey on the Titanic was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá http://www.brightwind.org/faith-and-science/2012-the-titanic-and-abdul-baha/

wow

You other commenters seriously need to spell-check.

history of titanic is reallay sorrowful.i also miss it

why was the ice burge thier

My great aunt was in England at the time of the Titanic sailing and she knew many on board the ship, who wanted her to travel back with them. Allegedly her luggage was on board, but she was not. She was the Executive Secretary of the Art Students League of NYC for 40 years as well as Asst. Secr. of the Architectural League/Guild of NYC and died in 1934 - if memory serves me correctly. She was also an artist who painted mostly seascapes on the coast of Massachusetts. Her grandfather Edmund Shaw Simpson was the Actor/Manager of the old Park Theatre in NYC for 40+ years, bringing talent (Barrymores, etc.) from England to the United States; his portrait hangs in the Museum of the City of NY; he died in 1849; her father was an Episcopal priest in Newark, NJ, Bloomington,IL and later in Oakland, CA.

Thank God that he missed the Voyage and thanks to his friend who advice him not to board.

I work for one of Henry Clay Frick's descendants, one of the best bosses I've ever had. I'm very glad he and his wife didn't make that journey!

oh these facts are awesome in my opinoin.

Titanic was a great ship it's very intresting hestery titanic it's really great ship.i lov tath..........

Too bad about Frick.

$300 was 10% for a first class passage for 2. Very expensive for 100 years ago. That would be what today? $50,000? 100,000? The Titanic notwithstanding, first class ship passage was a very civilized way to travel. Of course everything was more civilized back then.

In the book "How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary life" Lincoln Thru the Lens,by Martin Sandler. He shows a morgue photo of John Wilkes Booth from National Archives. Is this a valid photo?

that is ju7st so sad my great great great grandpa was the captain. And he died. rest in peace great great great grandpa. love you so much. u mwill always be in my heart even though i never meet u. u r so brave grandapa love you sos so so much.



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