January 27, 1850	Captain Edward John Smith is born.
1867	J. Bruce Ismay is born. His father, Thomas Henry Ismay, acquires the White Star Line.
1880	Smith joins the White Star Line as 4th Officer on Celtic.
1887	Smith captains his first ship, The Republic.
1891	J. Bruce Ismay made partner of White Star Line. Assumes control when his father retires several years later.
1898	Futility, a novel by Morgan Robertson, is published. It describes the the largest, most luxurious steamer ever built, The Titan, which strikes an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sinks, carrying with it many of the wealthiest members of society. The fictional ship's size, number of passengers, and its deficiency of lifeboats are similar to the as-yet unheard of Titanic.
December 1902	International Mercantile Marine, owned by J. Pierpont Morgan, purchases the White Star Line for £ 10 million. Bruce Ismay remains Managing Director and Chairman.
April 30, 1907	Bruce Ismay and Lord James Pirrie (of Harland & Wolff shipyards) agree to build Olympic and Titanic. Soon after, Pirrie's staff at H&W begin working on designs for the two ships, including Pirrie's nephew, designer Thomas Andrews, who oversees the design and construction of both Olympic and Titanic. Although Andrews is in charge, Ismay maintains final say in decisions, including that pertaining to the number of lifeboats.
July 1, 1907	White Star Line places an official order with Harland & Wolff for the construction of Olympic (shipyard #400) and Titanic (shipyard #401).
March 31, 1909	First keel plate of Titanic is laid in Belfast.
April 1910	Titanic is fully framed.
October 1910	Plating of Titanic completed. Hydraulic riveting is used for "best quality" plating. These rivets are a source of controversy today; it has been hypothesized that the iceberg struck by Titanic actually sheared off or broke the rivet heads, causing the small holes that doomed the ship.
April 1, 1911	Olympic is taken out to the graving dock for fitting out.
May 29, 1911	Olympic begins its sea trials, which last for two days.
May 31, 1911	Olympic sails on its maiden voyage. Titanic is successfully launched.
June 1911	Smith is placed in command of Olympic
September 20, 1911	Olympic, under Smith's command, collides with HMS Hawke while leaving Southampton. Olympic sustains a 40-foot gash to its hull and is returned to Harland & Wolff for repairs. A subsequent inquiry into the accident finds Smith and the Olympic at fault.
October 6, 1911	Workers building Titanic are transferred to Olympic to make repairs; this delay lasts six weeks and bumps Titanic's maiden voyage from March 20 to April 10. Conspiracy theorists today believe that the nameplates of the two ships were switched during this time at the request of White Star, with the intention of passing off the weakened Olympic as Titanic. The supposed plan was for the "Titanic" to deliberately strike an iceberg during its voyage and sink, thus allowing White Star to eliminate the weaker vessel, collect insurance money, and continue to sail the new, stronger "Olympic." Those who adhere to this theory support it by pointing out that J. P. Morgan, owner of the White Star Line, suddenly decided not to make the maiden voyage (ie, because he knew of the plan). In addition, it has been argued, Captain Smith's unusually lax notice of ice warnings is a sure indication that he was part of the scheme. Taking this bizarre plot even further, the theory holds that Stanley Lord, captain of the Californian (which notoriously ignored Titanic's rockets and failed to come to her aid), was also aware of the plot and so his ignorance of Titanic's warnings was deliberate. It is believed that this preposterous theory developed and continued because of the seemingly identical appearance of both ships and the use of footage and photos of Olympic to represent Titanic in reports, films, and newsreels after the sinking. However, the ships were not identical and are in fact fairly easy to distinguish from each other. Olympic's forward promenade is open to the air, but after Olympic passengers complained about sea spray showering them on the open promenade this area on Titanic was enclosed with sliding windows.
January 1912	Titanic is fitted with 16 lifeboats and 4 collapsible boats.
March 25, 1912	Titanic's lifeboats are tested.
March 31, 1912	Titanic is fully outfitted.
April 1, 1912	High winds cause Titanic's sea trials to be postponed.
April 2, 1912	Sea trials begin in in Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea at 6am. By 7 pm Titanic is back in Belfast and given her passenger certificate. At 8 pm, under Smith's command, Titanic heads for Southampton. Her sea trials have lasted less than day and have consisted of a few turns and stops. She is neither tested for speed nor for her ability and length of time to stop while at high speed.
April 3, 1912	Titanic arrives and docks in Southampton.
April 4–April 9, 1912	Cargo and food are loaded, photographs are taken, and final preparations for sailing are made. Because of a long coal strike, many ships are docked and voyages cancelled. Ismay takes advantage of the strike; he cancels several other White Star voyages and transfers the passengers and the coal to Titanic.
April 10, 1912 7:30 am Smith boards Titanic; Ismay follows shortly after. 9:30 am Passenger trains from Waterloo station begin arriving. 12 noon Titanic casts off and tugboats begin towing her out to sea. The excessive quantity of water she displaces causes suction to form below her and she begins dragging underwater debris along with her. The New York, tied up nearby because of the coal strike, is drawn toward Titanic by the suction and its mooring lines break. Captain Smith and the tugboat operators maneuver to avoid a disaster, but Titanic's departure is delayed an hour. Many of the passengers and spectators view the incident as a bad omen. 6:35 pm Titanic arrives in Cherbourg, France. The Astors, Benjamin Guggenheim, and Margaret "Molly" Brown come aboard, along with 270 other passengers from all three classes. Belowdecks, a fire has broken out in a coal bunker. 8:10 pm Titanic leaves Cherbourg for Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh). During the trip, designer Thomas Andrews supervises a test of the watertight doors. In an emergency these doors can be closed, thus sealing off the watertight compartments and, it is believed, halting the flow of water into the ship.
April 11, 1912 11:30 am Titanic, too large for the dock at Queenstown, drops anchor just off the coast. Passengers are ferried to and from the ship. Father Francis Brown disembarks, taking with him some of the last photographs ever taken of Titanic. In addition, while passengers are ferrying back and forth, various local vendors are brought aboard to sell their wares to those already on board. 1:30 pm Titanic departs for New York.
April 13, 1912	Fire in coal bunker finally extinguished.
April 14, 1912 9:00 am Caronia reports small icebergs, called growlers, sighted by westbound ships on April 12. 10:30 am Smith holds Sunday church service in the first class dining saloon. 1:42 pm Baltic forwards warning from Greek steamer Athenai of ice at 41°51'N, 49°52'W, 250 miles ahead of Titanic. 1:45 pm Hydrographic Office in Washington, DC intercepts ice warning from Amerika to Titanic reporting large bergs at 41°51'N, 50°W. When questioned after the sinking, neither the surviving Titanic officers nor the surviving wireless operator, Harold Bride, recall receiving the message. It is generally believed that wireless operator Jack Phillips, who was lost in the sinking, received the message but put it aside and never delivered it to the bridge. 7:30 pm Wireless operator Bride intercepts message between Californian and Antillian reporting large bergs at 43°3'N, 49°9'W, 50 miles ahead. After the sinking Bride claims to have delivered the message to the bridge, but cannot recall when or to whom. At this time, Smith is attending a dinner party below. 8:40 pm Second Officer Charles Lightoller orders carpenter Maxwell to watch the fresh water and make certain it doesn't freeze as the temperature drops. 9:20pm Smith goes to bed. He tells Lightoller to wake him "if it becomes at all doubtful." 9:40 pm Mesaba reports large icebergs and heavy pack ice. The wireless operators, swamped with passenger messages because of a radio malfunction earlier in the day, do not deliver the message to the bridge. By this time, the ice warnings received indicate a large field of ice 78 miles long and now only 30 miles ahead of Titanic. 10:00 pm First Officer William Murdoch relieves Lightoller on the bridge. Lookouts Reginald Lee and Frederick Fleet come on duty in the Crow's Nest. 10:30 pm Rappahannock, heading east past Titanic, reports via Morse lamp that it has just run through heavy pack ice. 11:05 pm Californian radio operator Cyril Evans breaks in with an ice warning on Titanic operator Jack Phillips, who is sending passenger messages via Cape Race. Phillips, angered by the interruption, tells Evans to "shut up" and never takes down his message. Shortly after, Evans, the only wireless operator aboard Californian, shuts down his radio and goes to bed. 11:40 pm Lookout Fleet spots an iceberg ahead and rings warning bell while calling down to the bridge. Sixth Officer Moody answers and asks Fleet "What do you see?" "Iceberg, right ahead" Fleet answers, to which Moody replies "Thank you" and disconnects.. He relays the warning to First Officer Murdoch, who orders the ship hard astarboard (a command which turns the ship's bow to port) and the engines to stop. The ship, which is moving at full speed and is far too large to turn quickly, collides with the iceberg on the starboard side. Murdoch sounds the alarm and closes the watertight doors. Belowdecks, the stokers race to escape the watertight compartments and the sudden flow of water before the doors close. Fireman Fred Barrett, an eventual survivor of the disaster, is among them. 11:50 pm Smith asks Andrews and a carpenter to sound the ship. By midnight, the mail room is underwater. The mail clerks struggle in vain to move the bags up and out of harm's way. April 15, 1912 12:05 am Smith orders Titanic's lifeboats uncovered and all crew and passengers on deck. Stewards in the three classes begin knocking on doors, awakening passengers and ordering them to don lifejackets. The squash court, 32 feet above the ship's keel, is already filling with water. 12:10 am Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall figures Titanic's position as 41°46'N, 50°14'W. 12:15 am Jack Phillips, senior wireless operator, sends first distress call (CQD, come quickly distress). The band begins playing on A Deck and later moves to the Boat Deck near the Grand Staircase. 12:25 am Smith orders the lifeboats to be filled with women and children. 58 miles away, Carpathia wireless operator Harold Cottam is getting ready for bed and decides to call Titanic. Upon receiving Titanic's distress call, he rushes to Captain Arthur Rostron, who prepares the ship for rescue and begins steaming toward Titanic. Cottam radios Titanic that they are coming and will arrive in four hours. 12:45 am First rocket fired. First lifeboat lowered from starboard side. In the wireless shack, Bride jokes that Phillips should send the new distress call, SOS, which has just recently been brought into use. Phillips agrees, and the first SOS in history is sent from Titanic. 1:40 am Last rocket fired. Eight rockets in all have been fired. Aboard Californian, stopped by ice 10-20 miles away, crew members see the rockets and comment on the ship in the distance, noting that it "looks queer" and appears to be sitting strangely in the water. Captain Lord, sleeping in the chart room, is awakened several times by reports of the mystery ship but does not go up to the bridge to investigate himself, nor does he wake the radio operator. He orders that Morse lamps be used to try to contact the ship and then goes back to sleep. 2:05 am Collapsible D is lowered. It is the last to be launched by the crew. Collapsibles A and B float off shortly after as the bow of Titanic sinks. 2:10-2:15 am Last distress call sent. 2:18 am Titanic's lights fail and loud crashes are heard as objects inside the ship begin to topple over and slide forward into the now-submerged bow section. 2:20 am The stern section rises out of the water as the bow goes under and stands nearly perpendicular for a long moment. The ship then breaks in half and the bow goes under. The stern falls back and then rises again as it goes under. The remaining passengers and crew—more than 1500 people—are dumped into the freezing waters of the Atlantic. Chief Baker Charles Joughin, who has been hanging from the stern railing, floats off as the stern finally goes under and does not even get his hair wet. He later likens the Titanic's final plunge to "an elevator." In nearby lifeboats crew members and survivors note the time. "She's gone." 3:30 am Survivors spot Carpathia's rockets in the distance. Although her average speed is 14 knots, Carpathia has steamed at 18 knots to reach Titanic, using all of the ship's available hot water to do so. Her passengers, awakened by the sounds of the straining engines, are greeted with cold water and orders to remain in their rooms. 4:10 am Carpathia arrives and begins rescuing survivors. Fourth Officer Boxhall is the first surviving officer aboard and breaks the news to Captain Rostron that Titanic has been lost. 8:10 am The last of Titanic's lifeboats is picked up. 8:30 am Californian arrives at last and offers assistance. Rostron tells Lord to search the area again for survivors. 8:50 am Rostron sets sail for New York. April 16, 1912 In New York, news reports generated from unregulated and unreliable wireless transmissions report Titanic afloat and all passengers and crew safe. Some reports have Titanic being towed to Halifax, and many of the families and friends of those aboard Titanic head there to greet them only to return to New York shortly after when the true situation is finally revealed. Aboard Carpathia, wireless operator Harold Cottam—with the help of Titanic's surviving wireless operator harold Bride—begins the daunting task of transmitting messages from and the names of the 705 survivors. Requests for information from news outlets and even the President are refused. April 17, 1912 U.S. Senator William Alden Smith receives Congressional approval for an inquiry into the sinking. April 18, 1912 Carpathia arrives in New York at 9:25 pm. Despite heavy rain, thousands line Cunard pier #54 to watch the arrival of Titanic's survivors. Rostron, however, stops first at White Star's pier to unload Titanic's lifeboats, making the true fate of Titanic clear at last. April 19, 1912 The U.S. Senate hearings into the sinking of the Titanic begin in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Bruce Ismay, who has survived the sinking under what most believe to be questionable circumstances, is the first to testify. Senator Smith presides over the hearings, which last for several weeks. Besides Ismay, Captains Rostron (Carpathia) and Lord (Californian) and surviving Titanic officers Lightoller, Boxhall, Lowe, and Pitman are among those who testify. April 20, 1912 The Mackay-Bennett arrives at the site of the sinking to begin searching for and retrieving bodies. A total of 328 are brought aboard of the more than 1500 lost. Of these, 128 are unrecognizable and 119 will be buried at sea. The other 209 bodies, including those of first-class passenger John Jacob Astor and bandleader Wallace Hartley, are brought back to New York to be identified and claimed by their families. Many are later buried in Halifax. April 22, 1912 British Board of Trade appoints Lord Mersey to lead an inquiry into the sinking. April 24, 1912 Olympic's stokers go on strike in Southampton, refusing to work on a ship with too few lifeboats. 285 crew members desert and Olympic's voyage is cancelled. May 2, 1912 British inquiry begins under the supervision of Lord Mersey. It is first held in Westminster at the Royal Scottish Drill Hall, but the acoustics are so bad that it is later moved to Scottish Hall in London. May 10, 1912 Ismay, at long last released from the U.S. inquiry, arrives in Queenstown, Ireland, where he is met by his wife. They arrive in Liverpool together the next day. May 13, 1912 The last Titanic lifeboat, set adrift by Carpathia after rescuing survivors, is found by Oceanic. Three bodies aboard are buried at sea. May 14, 1912 A one-reel film titled "Saved from the Titanic" is released, starring real-life Titanic survivor Dorothy Gibson. May 25, 1912 U.S. inquiry is concluded. Three days later, on May 28, the final report on the sinking is issued. Senator Smith faults the British Board of Trade, Captain Smith, and Captain Lord in the disaster and praises Captain Rostron. July 3, 1912 British inquiry is concluded. Felt by many to be a "whitewash" of the facts, not a single passenger is called to testify except Sir Cosmo and Lady Lucille Duff-Gordon, who are called only to clear up the details of their own behavior after the sinking. April 1913 The International Ice Patrol is founded, under the supervision of the U.S. Coast Guard, to track ice in shipping and travel lanes in direct response to the Titanic tragedy. Every April, the IIP travels out to Titanic's last known position and drops a wreath onto the water in memory of the disaster. April 22, 1912 Amid innuendo, rumors, and ridicule, the International Mercantile Marine Board of Directors forces Ismay to step down as Managing Director and Chairman of White Star Line. February 26, 1914 The last of the three sister ships, Brittanic, is launched. September 1915 Olympic becomes a naval transport during World War I. She earns the nickname "Old Reliable," in part because she has survived 4 torpedo attacks. November 21, 1916 Brittanic, now a hospital ship, is either torpedoed or strikes an underwater mine in the Aegean Sea. The ship begins sinking so quickly—it is submerged within an hour—that the propellers are not stopped. Although only 30 of the 1100 on board are lost in the sinking, it is believed that most of these 30 were killed when their lifeboats were pulled beneath the still-churning propeller blades. 1932 Molly Brown dies in New York at age 65. March 1935 After more than 20 years in service, Olympic is retired and scrapped. It is believed that some of her wood paneling now decorates some English pubs. 1937 J. Bruce Ismay, a recluse since the disaster, dies at age 74. 1955 Walter Lord publishes A Night to Remember. The film version is released some time later. 1964 "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," a film version of the stage musical, is released. Debbie Reynolds plays Molly Brown. 1980 The film version of Clive Cussler's novel Raise the Titanic is released, starring Jason Robards. In July, Texas oilman Jack Grimm (known for funding expeditions to locate the Loch Ness Monster) funds an expedition to locate Titanic. This expedition and subsequent attempts in June 1981 and July 1983 all fail to locate the wreck. September 1, 1985 At 1:05 am, a French/American expedition led by Robert Ballard (of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in MA) locates one of Titanic's boilers 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the Atlantic. After 73 years, the wreck of Titanic is finally located. September 1986 Ballard returns to Titanic. He tours the wreck in a mini-sub and takes the first photographs of the wreck. He learns that most of the ship's wood planks, paneling, and even the Grand Staircase have been eaten away by deep-sea organisms. He also confirms the (until-then controversial) belief that the ship broke in two before sinking by locating and photographing the nearly destroyed stern section. Between the two sections Ballard finds a large field of Titanic debris ranging from twisted metal window frames and rusted boilers to polished, unbroken tea cups and unopened wine bottles. August 1987 A group later to be called RMS Titanic Inc funds an expedition to Titanic and retrieves 1800 items from the wreck and debris field. The group is granted salvage rights to the wreck by the U.S. Congress. They return several times to the wreck site to retrieve artifacts, which are then restored and sent on tour around the U.S. and England as part of a Titanic exhibition. 1991 IMAX film "Titanica" is released. Spring 1995 Director James Cameron, known for films such as "The Abyss" and the "Terminator" series, pitches a film version of the Titanic disaster. He is given $2 million to fund an expedition to the wreck, where he goes deeper inside the ship than any previous expedition. He also takes footage of the wreck site to be used in his film. May 1996 Cameron gets a green-light from Fox to begin production on Titanic. Cameron builds a production studio in Mexico and begins building a near-actual-size replica of Titanic. As the film's budget soars to $200 million, Fox strikes a deal with Paramount to share the costs. Rumors of budget problems and production errors find their way to the U.S. and it is feared "Titanic" will be a disaster for the studios similar to "Waterworld," an ocean-set postapocalyptic film starring Kevin Costner that also ran over budget and eventually flopped at the box office. In the meantime, Cameron continues production. James Horner is tapped by Cameron to score the film. Cameron tells Horner that he wants an all-instrumental score, but Horner secretly calls in a favor from Celine Dion to record "My Heart Will Go On." Although Cameron likes the song, he adds it to the closing credits only. August 1996 RMS Titanic funds an expedition and publicity cruise to the Titanic site, where it plans to raise at large section of Titanic's hull. Although the section, nicknamed "The Big Piece" comes within a few feet of the surface, cable lines break and it falls back to the ocean floor. January 20, 1997 Edith Haisman, the oldest Titanic survivor, dies at 100 years of age. February 14, 1997 Eva Hart, also a survivor, dies at age 91. Spring 1997 Teaser posters for "Titanic" are released and begin appearing in theaters. The posters show only the rivets of a ship's hull and large white letters reading "TITANIC." Below the title, in red, the words "Summer 1997" appear. However, by the time summer arrives, the film's release has been pushed back to December because of production delays, fueling rumors that the film is in trouble. The now-incorrect posters become collectibles and disappear from theaters. December 19. 1997 "Titanic" is released in United States. Moviegoers return again and again, quickly making it the highest-grossing film of all time. When it is released overseas it continues its success and eventually brings in approximately $2 billion. In addition, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet become overnight sensations. The soundtrack, including Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," becomes the best-selling soundtrack of all time and Dion's own CD "Let's Talk About Love," which also carries "My Heart Will Go On," runs second to the soundtrack on the music charts for months. March 1998 "Titanic" wins 11 of the 14 Academy Awards for which it is nominated, including Best Picture and Best Director. The 11 wins ties "Titanic" with "Ben Hur" for most Oscar wins in history. Titanic survivor Eleanor Johnson Shuman dies at age 87. April 1998 Two companies separately announce plans to build near-exact replicas of Titanic (except, of course, with enough lifeboats and presumably more up-to-date amenities like air conditioning) that will make (and complete) Titanic's original voyage between Southampton and New York. One of the companies, based in South Africa, had scheduled to set sail on New Year's Eve 1999-2000, but this did not occur and to date (as of 7/2000) neither ship has been completed. August 10, 1998 Two years after its first failed attempt, RMS Titanic successfully raises a 20-ton section of Titanic's hull. September 1998 "Titanic" is released on home video and quickly becomes a best-seller.

References

Eaton JP, Haas CA: Titanic: Destination Disaster. New York: WW Norton & Co, 1992

Jim's Titanic Timeline. Available online at http://www.advantix.net/~jsadur/titanic/timeline.htm. Accessed July 28, 2000

Lord W: A Night to Remember (1955). New York, Bantam Books (reissue edition), 1997

Spignesi SJ: The Complete Titanic: From the Earliest Blueprints to the Epic Film. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing, 1998

Titanic Timeline. Available online at http://www.lostliners.com/Titanic/timeline.html. Accessed July 28, 2000