The ill-fated White Star liner RMS Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Credit: Hulton Archive | Getty Images (via TNS)
Park Stephenson’s fascination with the RMS Titanic began in the mid-1960s, as he viewed the 1953 film “Titanic” on his house’s box TV for the first time.
Enthralled by the grand ship’s descent into the ocean, he watched with bated breath as the men on board rounded up women and children for the final supply of lifeboats.
Stephenson has since dedicated over 20 years of his career to dissecting the Titanic’s buried mysteries, trying to uncover everything he can about the ship.
As a result of its infamy, the Titanic has been the subject of numerous films, books and specialized museum exhibits. One such experience is the Center of Science and Industry’s “TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition.” For the third time in 19 years, the center — more commonly known as COSI — will welcome the exhibit back, according to its website.
Starting Saturday, guests will be presented with immersive artifact displays, full-scale replicas and even individual boarding passes that correspond to real-life Titanic passengers, the website states.
After 112 years, the Titanic’s sinking continues to be an emotional part of world history, resonating with many as it’s admired, displayed and mourned. Stephenson said the ship’s wondrous beginning and disastrous end make it instantly compelling.
“Why does everybody else have such a fascination with Titanic? I can’t fully explain it,” Stephenson said. “It’s just one of those really dramatic events that captures a public’s imagination, and it always has.”
In 1912, the Titanic set sail across the Atlantic Ocean from England, only to meet its untimely demise on April 15. After colliding with an iceberg, more than 1,500 passengers died, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website states.
Stephenson said comprehending the tragedy’s full scope remains difficult for many, even if they are history buffs like himself.
“For me personally, it started out [as] what exactly happened to the ship, and I still don’t know exactly what happened to the ship,” Stephenson said.
Kristy Williams, director of communications at COSI, said “TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition” is one of the center’s most requested exhibits.
“The story and tragedy of the Titanic and its passengers and crew are almost legend at this point,” Williams said. “It’s a big topic in pop culture, it’s referenced a lot, and the biggest thing is that there is still so much to learn.”
Williams said stories surrounding the ship — whether told via film or museum exhibits — help evoke an emotional response from a wide range of people.
Mary Ann Whitely, a Titanic enthusiast and co-author of “Ohio Tales of the Titanic: The Buckeye State’s Fascinating Connections to the World’s Most Famous Shipwreck,” agreed. She said the Titanic directly reflected the class relations of its time, as it boarded passengers from first, second and third classes alongside its crew.
“I think the fascination with it was because the passengers were a microcosm of society,” Whitely said. “I think people see themselves in those characters.”
Whitely said interest in the Titanic was gradually fading until the 1950s, when the book “A Night to Remember” by Walter Lord was adapted into a film. This revived public interest in the historic sinking, prompting more Titanic-related media to emerge in the ensuing years, she said.
Ultimately, Williams said COSI is trying to replicate the humanistic feelings of Titanic passengers: the hasty distribution of life vests, the sharp sting of glacial water and the sheer frenzy of fighting for survival, among others. After all, these sense-driven aspects have permitted the Titanic to occupy countless people’s psyches over the years, Whitely said.
“Once the Titanic grabs a hold of you, it won’t let you go,” Whitely said.
‘TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition’ will be open from Saturday to Sept. 2, with general public admission priced at $15. More information about the exhibit can be found on COSI’s website.
