One hundred and four years ago, today, in the early hours of the morning, arguably the most famous ship that has ever existed slipped beneath the waves during her maiden voyage. Of the 2,223 passengers and crew of the Titanic, only 706 survived the sinking - and the aftermath of the event sparked culture change throughout the world.
From the tragedy emerged stories of both heroism, as in the likes of John Jacob Astor (
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Astor-2), who - though the richest man aboard the vessel - reportedly refused access to a lifeboat to make room for two third class children he saw nearby; and cowardice - to the point that the manager of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay (
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ismay-15), was whispered about until his death for his survival. While these stories may be famous, when given the chance to look at the other 2,221 passengers on the ship, many other rich stories abound which are far less unknown... As in the case of William Edward Minahan (
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Minahan-38), who left his own legacy in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Several volunteers are currently in the process of indexing those associated with the Titanic, and we could use any willing volunteers. There are many tasks available - writing biographical sketches, connecting passengers to the main tree, tagging profiles already on Wikitree, etc. If you are interested in joining this project, please visit The Titanic Project (
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Titanic).
