Buy Unsinkable merch, finally! Shirts + sweatshirts on sale here: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/ *Support the pod, wear the pod, and help keep Unsinkable ad-free and independent! Today I post an episode long in the making. This is an examination of the complex and rich life of Major Archibald Butt, highly mythologized Titanic First Class victim who served as military aide to TWO U.S. Presidents and wooed all of Washington, D.C., it seems, with charm and grace. He was in Eu...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Find Steam & Steel here: https://steamandsteel.store + *use the code UNSINKABLE for any of your purchases for a special listener discount!* A HUGE unsinkable thank you to Mauricio Bertoni, owner of the Steam & Steel Store, who joins me to discuss his artful products, his own lifelong love for Titanic and the hope it represents, and how best to talk about the ship and its history with children. Mo's products are unique and gorgeous and he was kind enough to send my kids a few to try. Find...
Jan 06, 2023•47 min
Veronica Hinke, author of The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style is BACK on the pod to discuss tips for hosting your own Titanic/Edwardian-era dinner and cocktail party. Whether for New Year's Eve or a birthday, perhaps an Oscar party, the First Class menu on Titanic is particularly wonderful inspiration for entertaining this winter...and we tell you how: everything from prepping caviar and oysters to the histories behind the gloriously rich and boozy Pre-Prohibiti...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Join me for a reply personal look at the legacy of James Cameron's masterpiece. Listen through to the end for listener submissions. Thank you for telling me YOUR Titanic story. I love you all and appreciate you more than you could know. Support the show Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/ Support ...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 35 min
This is a re-release from January 2022, but LISTEN, at least to the intro, because that part is new! More coming for the 25th anniversary of the film. EPIC episode coming December 19th! *From January: In this last episode for my series on the 1997 movie, I go off script and recount the Titanic cultural phenomena but also the very personal feelings I have about it and how it relates to our understanding of the ship, film history, memory, grief. I also go over the many/pervasive pop culture refere...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 47 min
Today I'm joined by Emily Densky of the Titanic Museum Attraction to discuss the real life passengers that James Cameron brought to life in the 1997 film Titanic. Ever wonder who that man smoking a cigar and yelling that "women and machinery don't mix" is? Ever wonder if Lady Duff Gordon actually did design dirty lingerie? We cover these burning questions (!) and so much more as we unpack the movie and how our collective relationship with it informs how we view and memorialize the ship itself. A...
Dec 12, 2022•48 min
In this episode I venture into Astor-land for the first time, beginning with a bit of a primer on JJ Astor and his family, leading into his courtship with 17-year-old Madeleine Force, who would go on to become his second wife and board Titanic alongside him. Then I'm joined by author Shana Abe, whose novel The Second Mrs. Astor is a stunning piece of historical fiction that attempts to fill in the gaps of what we know and illuminate their love story. It's a great chat, and we fell into a wonderf...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 9 min
I watched Netflix's new show 1899 and got some major Titanic-era-vibes from it, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts! Listen all the way through because I also need some help from YOU to figure out my 1997 25th anniversary content! Support the show Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/ Support the ...
Dec 05, 2022•21 min
Join me as I head back to Cobh and explore the story of Titanic's only known washed up debris, a message in a bottle from a 19-year-old immigrant named Jeremiah Burke. We don't know exactly when he wrote the message or what date it says, but it seems pretty legit, and it was found in 1913 just a few miles from where his family grieved for his loss. What do you think? Is it real? What date does it say? I also give some Cobh travel recs. This is a fun little mini episode! Support the show Support ...
Dec 02, 2022•36 min
Hi guys, here's an unlocked Patreon bonus episode! And, secondary bonus, it's related to the 1997 movie! If you've been on the fence about joining Patreon, maybe listening to a bonus epi will give you a better sense of the bonus content. You can join Patreon at any level to unlock the bonus episodes! There are higher tiers for a shout out, access to any events in the future, and picking a bonus episode of your choice. Find my Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod Support the s...
Nov 17, 2022•50 min
Join me for this, my very first collaborative episode with the Titanic Museum Attraction: For the month of November we decided to share some research and chat about a few of the 48 veterans who sailed on Titanic. I welcome back Kadi Brazil, who has appeared on the pod before and, honestly, I'd have her on every week! This is the important work, telling the stories, and looking at passengers through a lens like military service opened up so many intriguing tangents as well. A few passengers featu...
Nov 16, 2022•43 min
This is my favorite episode I've ever recorded, and I'm not being facetious at all. Join me for a FUN conversation with podcasters The Midnight Boys--Joe, Duff, and Rob--who head down memory lane with me and back to 1997 to discuss their cult-fave podcast Titanic Minute (in which, yes, they dissected the film minute by minute). Find Titanic Minute here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/titanic-minute/id1266673496 Find The Midnight Boys' film podcast, A Free Podcast, here: https://podcasts.a...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 23 min
Join me as I take a look at the life of Charles Joughin, known in pop culture as "Titanic's Drunk Baker." It wouldn't be Unsinkable without a title myth-busting, would it? There's actually a LOT of myth-busting here. I examine his testimony about the events of the night of the sinking, recount the hardships and successes of his eventful life at sea, and question whether the alcohol in his system (which probably wasn't even that much, spoiler alert) did or didn't help him survive in the icy water...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This is a RE-RELEASE of a spooky season episode from last year! An in-depth examination of paranormal phenomenon related to the ship: the omens and premonitions of passengers, accounts from fortune-tellers, and the life and writings of spiritualist and Titanic victim William Stead (whose floating, talking head so many people claim to have seen at seances just weeks after the sinking). Oh, and, of course...a few suspected hauntings. For more detail, I recommend George Behe's book Titanic: Psychic...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Join me for a special October Book Club episode! Haunting the Deep , Adriana Mather's follow-up to SMASH hit How to Hang a Witch , is about a girl who sees spirits, and this time around she's seeing them dripping with water. I wonder why! Adriana and I have a wonderful conversation about writing, historical fiction, Titanic passengers, and even a bit about some real-life experience with spirits. She has family members who were intricately involved in the Salem Witch Trials as well as family memb...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Join me for a walk through Titanic Quarter in Belfast, where my family I spent four glorious days back in August. I wish I could teleport back to the bar at Titanic Hotel right this instant. An old-fashioned. The halls of Harland and Wolff. It was a magical time. In this episode I walk through the history of Harland and Wolff shipyard both literally and figuratively. I give some commentary on the stunning achievements of Titanic Belfast, the museum at the center of the Quarter. You'll hear my da...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Join me in a FUN but also incredibly informative chat with actress and docent Kadi Brazil-- who works at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, where she portrays some of the ship's most iconic female passengers, historical and fictional (wink, wink, Rose reference). Kadi was so generous with her time and gives us a real sense of what it's like to work in a place where it's always, always 1912. From moving moments with visitors to some wacky anecdotes, this is one of my favorite intervie...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Join me a I talk with Simon Medhurst, who found out just about 10 year ago that he's actually the great-grandson of Titanic Quartermaster Robert Hichens. Hichens is quite the controversial figure in the ship's mythology, and Medhurst has been on a wild personal ride of discovery and reconciliation while also becoming an important voice in the online Titanic community. You can buy Simon's book, Titanic Day by Day, here: https://penandswordbooks.com/titanic-day-by-day.html#.Yy_Ewy-B1-U You can buy...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Join me as I revive my Titanic on Film series for this 70s time capsule of a TV movie--SOS Titanic. I ran from watching this one for years. A horrid Margaret Brown take, lots of 70s bangs and anachronistic hair, it just never appealed to me. But I finally ran into it head on and I examine its production, actors, themes a bit as well as highlight a few of the featured passengers. It's not on streaming currently (as of this episode's publication in September of 2022), but DVD copies are available ...
Sep 19, 2022•50 min
Welcome back to Unsinkable, I've missed you all! Join me in this tale of young love, forbidden romance, and a search for historical accuracy as I investigate the tale of Mary Mullin and Denis Lennon, two third class passengers from Ireland who boarded at Cobh, then Queenstown; their story is lean in facts but rich in mythology. Part of this story takes us to the 1990s, when a medical journalist named Monica O'Hara Keegan wrote about her past life regressions into a character that might have been...
Sep 10, 2022•1 hr
*Just a quick note to say I know the audio on this episode is a bit spotty and breathy; I had to use a Cloud recording because we had a few connection glitches on the day, my apologies!* Join me for this, an update on the media involving + important work being done around the shipwreck of the Clotilda, which I featured in an Unsinkable side series episode this past spring. In this episode I speak with Mike Foster, whose ancestor William Foster captained (and burned) the slave ship. Mike has beco...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 34 min
A very special crosspost: my appearance on the new podcast Titanic Talkline. I was honored to be in the first bath of guests, and Alexia's interviews are refreshing and fun. Make sure to search "Titanic Talkline" in whatever pod player you use and subscribe! Find info here as well: https://www.facebook.com/TitanicTalkline/ Support the show Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles Buy...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 29 min
Thank you for being part of Unsinkable during my first season. It's been an experiment, it's been joyful, I've met and spoken with so many people who have warmed my heart and challenged me to think more deeply. I love the Titanic community and I can't wait to bring you more content in the fall. For now, here's my love letter to Kate Winslet, to 1997 forever. A very special thank you to Hermes, Katja, Erin, and Emily for your Kate notes! Join Patreon to support the pod over the summer and access ...
Jun 18, 2022•1 hr 31 min
Dr. Biel and I discuss everything from the legacy of the various Titanic films to his surreal experiences aboard a ship in the North Atlantic as part of the group that accompanied the 1998 expedition to the wreck. He was there when the "Big Piece" saw the sunshine for the first time in 86 years. I was moved by our conversation and reminded of the importance of the passion of those in the Titanic community. Buy his book here: https://bookshop.org/books/down-with-the-old-canoe-a-cultural-history-o...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 12 min
I've been circling this episode all season and am excited, finally, to bring you the story of Ted Smith (as he was known to those closest to him), the quiet but genial captain of the RMS Titanic. We live with his ghost(s) in so many ways. Thank you to GJ Cooper for his intense Captain Smith research; you can buy his book here and support the pod: https://bookshop.org/books/titanic-captain-the-life-of-edward-john-smith/9780752460727?aid=80949&listref=episodes-miscellany I also recommend, for ...
May 26, 2022•2 hr 22 min
Lusitania's legacy is also absolutely unsinkable. To buy Larson's book or any books I have featured, visit my Bookshop affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod For a general look at World War One, see the modern classic by John Keegan, The First World War or David Stevenson's 1914-1918: The History of the First World War Listener Dan (thank you, Dan!) recommends, in the podcast realm: The Old Front Line ( https://oldfrontline.co.uk/ ) and Footsteps of the Fallen ( https://footstep...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 11 min
I began researching this episode uneasy about what I might find, nervous; and while it is an incredibly somber and sobering part of the Titanic story, I was also shocked at how exhilarated I felt uncovering it, shedding light on the stories of the bodies found, what we can learn from them. Join me as I look at the story of the recovery ship the Mackay Bennett and the process of bringing some Titanic victims back ashore. The Mackay Bennett's fate is tied to Titanic's forever. Halifax's story is a...
Apr 30, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Join me as I knock down with gusto some of the long-standing myths about Denver socialite/activist/philanthropist Margaret Brown (decidedly not Molly!), one of Titanic's most famed passengers. Her real life bears very little resemblance to the whiskey-driven rabble-rousing of the musical that bore her name. To help me uncover some truths about this absolute FEMINIST of a woman I'm joined by Director of the Molly Brown House Museum, Andrea Malcomb. Visit the museum's website to learn more about M...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 16 min
This is a special episode in honor of the 110th anniversary of the night Titanic sank; I hesitate, always, to use the word "anniversary" here because it seems a bit crass, but we must commemorate every person aboard that ship, every person lost on that ship, every person who lost someone on that ship, every way in which human lives were affected by the unimaginable loss. And because we always, always look to Titanic for metaphors and analogies and lessons and evidence of this thing we call human...
Apr 14, 2022•43 min
This is a companion to my episode on the Clotilda; join me as I discuss Ben Raines' stunning The Last Slave Ship , which recounts the ship's entire history as well as how he himself found it under just 20 feet of water at Twelve Mile Island, near Mobile, Alabama. I discuss all the ways in which the issues and debates surrounding Clotilda are insanely relevant to our everyday lives, American history, southern history, African American history. The ship may be raised. Museums are in the works. Des...
Apr 11, 2022•52 min
