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
(Library of Congress)
The legendary 74-year-old financier, nicknamed the “Napoleon of Wall Street,” had helped create General Electric and U.S. Steel and was credited with almost singlehandedly saving the U.S. banking system during the Panic of 1907.
Among his varied business interests was the International Mercantile Marine, the shipping combine that controlled Britain’s White Star Line, owner of the Titanic. Morgan attended the ship’s launching in 1911 and had a personal suite on board with his own private promenade deck and a bath equipped with specially designed cigar holders. He was reportedly booked on the maiden voyage but instead remained at the French resort of Aix to enjoy his morning massages and sulfur baths.
“Monetary losses amount to nothing in life,” he told a visiting New York Times reporter days after the sinking. “It is the loss of life that counts. It is that frightful death.”
Comments (86)
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I felt disturbed when I read about the titanic voyage but I therefore show my condolences to all the familes that victimized and those the incidence befell them.I love u all n God bless you in abundance but remember with him all things are possible
Posted by emmanuel owolabi on May 13,2013 | 12:07 PM
Here’s yet another candidate for our list: Charles Jourjon. While not a well-known name in the U.S., he was a co-founder and head of the Éclair Film Company and a major figure in early French cinema. According to at least one report, he had a reservation on the Titanic but missed the ship and ended up crossing on the French liner Savoie. An interesting coincidence is that one of the survivors of the Titanic disaster, the silent film actress Dorothy Gibson, was under contract to Éclair’s U.S. studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Within days of her return she was starring as herself in a heavily fictionalized film called “Saved from the Titanic.” Released just a month after the sinking, it was the first movie about the Titanic and the only one to star a survivor. Unfortunately no copies of the film are believed to have survived.
Posted by Greg Daugherty on May 10,2013 | 05:01 PM
The article says "The man behind the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Syrup, and the Pennsylvania city that bears his name…." Hershey is not a city. In fact, technically there is no such place as Hershey. The town generally known as Hershey, PA is just part of Derry Township, PA.
Posted by John Harvey on April 26,2013 | 12:39 PM
I READ THE HISTORY AB0UT TITANIC......I FEEL REALY SAD ABOUT IT........:(
Posted by umaima ali on April 23,2013 | 12:06 PM
This website did not help me at all GET RID OF THIS WERBITE THIS WEBSITE SUCKS
Posted by Candis Anderson on April 17,2013 | 09:46 AM
sank on the day of my dads b-day
Posted by amamnjot on April 15,2013 | 04:53 PM
101yrs after the tragedy of the RMS TITANIC remain fresh in our memories, expecially when one watches the titanic movie. One can do nothing but to apreciate d effort of those who explore d story
Posted by shehu usman aliyu on April 13,2013 | 05:52 PM
How fortunate that for some odd reason these people had the intestinal fortitude to not go on the 'TITANIC'Boy What Luck,for them WOW!!!!!!!!
Posted by Lavada Farris on April 12,2013 | 09:42 AM
Marconi should've sent Tesla a thank you for getting credit of saving lives. Poor Tesla gets so overlooked in history. He invented most of the important inventions and others stole it and took credit. It would've been karma had Marconi actually took the Titanic.
Posted by Megan on March 24,2013 | 11:31 PM
There's an old blues song called "Farewell Titanic" that tells the story of African American boxing champ Jack Johnson being REFUSED passage on the Titanic due to his race. If this story is true, why wasn' he included on the list of famous people who missed that fateful voyage?
Posted by Chris Ring on March 14,2013 | 12:10 AM
Your web site is amazing! Thank you.
Posted by Jane McCalla on March 2,2013 | 06:51 PM
I love the Titanic it was a interesting story. I feel so bad for the people who died.
Posted by Aspen laFlam on March 2,2013 | 02:37 PM
Well, here's one woman included (probably the harpist!), from http://lso.co.uk/: "On 28 March 1912, the LSO [London Symphony Orchestra] embarked on a famous three-week tour to the United States of America and Canada, the first British orchestra to visit those distant shores. Legend has it that the LSO narrowly avoided sailing on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic. The tour started a week early due to the rescheduling of some of the concerts - no doubt an inconvenience at the time, but because of this new travel plans had to be made. Tickets for the Titanic were exchanged for the SS Baltic. The tour was conducted by Artur Nikisch who, with his band of ninety-nine men and one woman, travelled across North America in a special eight-car Pullman train. Visits were made to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St Louis, Kansas City, Wichita, Des Moines, Madison, Milwaukee, Oxford OH, Cincinnati, Toledo, Detroit, Buffalo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston and Providence."
Posted by on March 1,2013 | 08:13 PM
I read somewhere that Harry Vardon, the greatest English golfer ever, also was scheduled to travel on the Titanic and cancelled late.
Posted by Mark on February 13,2013 | 01:11 AM
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