Critical Error

In a recent article, Louise Patten, writer and granddaughter of Titanic's 2nd officer Charles Lightoller, tells of his lifetime silence on the real cause of the 1912 disaster. She stated that the family kept it quiet all these years in order to protect Lightoller's reputation and that of his fellow crew.

Lightoller stated that a steering mistake doomed the giant ocean liner and more than 1500 of the people on board. When the iceberg had been spotted, the ship could have been steered to the left and around it. However, panic on the part of a crew member at the helm resulted in the ship turning the wrong way and directly into the ice's oncoming path.

He also believed the Titanic could have stayed afloat much longer had the Captain not been convinced by a company executive to continue on after it was hit. The ship's sinking could have been delayed long enough for the rescue vessels to arrive and possibly saving all those lives.

What is believed to be the last known image of the Titanic as it leaves Queenstown on its' fatal voyage.

Old Meets New

Photographer William England snapped this photograph of the Niagara Suspension Bridge in 1859. Viewed as an engineering marvel in its' time, the structure not only accommodated the modern trains of the era, but also the old horse and buggy traffic, as seen on the lower level beneath the tracks.

Pope John Paul I

Albino Luciani was elected Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on August 26, 1978, and took the name John Paul I. He brought simplicity to the Papacy from day 1 when he refused the customary Papal Coronation ceremony to begin his reign. That reign only lasted 33 days, as he was found dead in his residence on September 28, 1978.

Much controversy has surrounded his death over the years, resulting in some conspiracy theories that exist to this day. The Vatican was not completely forthcoming on much of the information released on his death. For example, it was reported that his secretary found the body, when in fact, a nun did while bringing him his morning coffee. The Vatican also reported he had health problems due to heavy smoking, when in fact it was learned that John Paul had never smoked.

His body was embalmed within one day of his death, setting off suspicions of it being done to avoid an autopsy, raising the possibility to some that he may have met with foul play. An official death certificate on his death has never been found.