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Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
OceanGate tragedy shares eerie link to couple who died in Titanic shipwreck
The doomed Titan submersible, which imploded in 2023, shares a chilling link with the Titanic One of the most iconic love stories from the Titanic has a bizarre link to the ill-fated Titan submersible, as revealed in Netflix's Titan: The Oceangate Disaster. Isidor and Ida Straus were renowned for their unwavering unity on the sinking Titanic back in 1912. Ida famously declared in their final moments: "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die together." Eyewitnesses recounted seeing them clasping hands as the ship went down. This tender scene was captured in James Cameron's blockbuster film, Titanic, showing an elderly couple holding each other tight as the vessel sank. Intriguingly, Wendy Rush, the wife of the late Titan innovator Stockton Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of the devoted Straus pair. According to her LinkedIn, Wendy holds the role of director of communications at OceanGate, reports the Irish Star. Tragically, the Titan's voyage claimed the lives of Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and Suleman Dawood, when it imploded underwater in 2023. Since tying the knot in 1986, Wendy and Stockton shared an extraordinary connection to the Titanic's history. With three expeditions to the site of the RMS Titanic wreckage, which lies deep in the North Atlantic, Wendy continues to honour their legacy. Wendy's maiden name reflects this lineage. Born Wendy Hollings Weil, she descends from Minnie Straus Weil, the progeny of Isidor and Ida Straus. The German-born couple, long-time American residents, were already in their golden years – 67 and 63 respectively – when tragedy struck on the Titanic. Documents at the National Archives reveal that the venerable Strauses were travelling back from a trip to Germany with Ida's maid, Ellen Bird, and Isidor's valet, John Farthing, when the catastrophe occurred. Isidor launched his successful retail venture by leasing space in Macy's in 1888. By 1896, he and his brother Nathan had taken full ownership, and he even served as a US Congressman. Ida's loyal maid, survivor Ellen, later recounted the last wrenching moments she spent with the couple. She recalled Ida, in the midst of chaos, entrusting her luxurious mink coat to Ellen, stating she would have no further use for it. In later years, Ellen endeavoured to present the cherished mink back to the Straus heirs, but they respectfully refused it. While searchers recuperated Isidor's body, Ida's was claimed by the ocean. An inscription at their New York mausoleum poignantly reflects their love: "Many waters cannot quench love - neither can floods drown it."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The New OceanGate Documentary Dives Into the Depths of the Titan Submersible Tragedy
Two years ago, OceanGate's Titan submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland. Now, amid ongoing investigations by the U.S. Coast Guard, Netflix has a new documentary that proposes—citing sound evidence and on-camera interviews with sources that were formerly close to OceanGate—just what went wrong on the ill-fated journey to the site of another prolific sea disaster, RMS Titanic. Much of it has to do with OceanGate's eccentric late CEO, Stockton Rush, one of the five victims of the 2023 incident. On June 11, Netflix released the documentary Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster, which documents the circumstances behind the June 2023 incident that spawned countless memes and endless speculation. While the movie dives deep (ahem) into the specifics of the Titan's implosion, including pointing out the submersible's carbon fiber construction that was vulnerable to deep-sea water pressure, the movie points a finger at Rush, who is described by subjects in the movie as "arrogant" with a major "temper." "I worked for somebody that is probably borderline clinical psychopath. Definitely a narcissist," said Tony Nissen, a former engineering director at OceanGate in the movie. "How do you manage a person like that who owns the company?" In the movie, Stockton Rush is described as having a "privileged background" originating from generational wealth; his family tree includes two signers of the Declaration of Independence. Subjects in the film recall Rush hoping to fashion himself as a billionaire explorer like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, with his eyes set on Earth's oceans instead of Mars. "Big swinging dicks" was a term Rush liked to say out loud and often, and being a "big swinging dick" himself was an explicit goal. (Rush was not a billionaire, but he had money to burn nonetheless.) Joseph Assi, a videographer hired by Rush to capture OceanGate's expeditions, says that one of Rush's personal philosophies was that "accessibility is ownership." As Assi says in the documentary: "If there's a small island in the middle of the ocean, and you're the only one you can access it, it doesn't matter who owns it, you have ownership over it because you have the accessibility to get to it. And he truly believed in that." Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster makes a belabored point that OceanGate's failings leading to the implosion stemmed from Rush's leadership. His short temper and arrogance permeated in all his efforts to build a business around deep-sea commercial tourism. This included trying to skip critical testing conducted by third parties—which is standard practice in the industry—and cutting costs where possible, such as in the aforementioned use of carbon fiber materials which cannot sustain oceanic pressure. Rush also verbally stated he could and would "buy a congressman," which alarmed many OceanGate employees. Rob McCallum, a consultant, recalls in the documentary: "Stockton said that he decided that he saw no need for classification, for third-party oversight. I stood up and said, 'I'm sorry I can't be part of this conversation, nor can I be associated with OceanGate or this vehicle in any way.' And I left. He had every contact in the submersible industry telling him not to do this. But once you start down the path of doing it entirely yourself, and you realize you've taken the wrong turn right back at the beginning... You have to admit you were wrong. That's a big pill to swallow." Rush is also described as having a callous attitude towards employees, refusing to take accountability for his failures. For example: In 2016, Rush and OceanGate hosted an expedition to the SS Andrea Doria. The trip nearly ended in disaster after Rush brought their sub into a dangerous spot; David Lochridge, OceanGate's Director of Marine Ops and a more experienced pilot, took over controls and got everyone aboard safely to the surface. Though Rush thanked Lochridge, the CEO turned cold towards him, later excluding him from important communications. Rush eventually fired Lochridge, in a tense meeting heard in the movie via audio recording. Later, Rush suggested promoting another OceanGate employee, Bonnie Carl, to take over Lochridge as the next lead pilot. But Carl was an accountant who headed the HR department, and had no experience as a submersible pilot. Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster is a cut above typical straight-from-the-headlines Netflix documentaries, as a level-headed if straightforward deep dive (again, ahem) about a disaster that dominated the news cycle two summers ago. But while the ins and outs of a deadly trip into the sea have morbid appeal, it's the movie's interrogation of one man's toxic hubris that makes Titan a worthy watch. You Might Also Like Kid Cudi Is All Right 16 Best Shoe Organizers For Storing and Displaying Your Kicks
Cosmopolitan
11-06-2025
- General
- Cosmopolitan
Titan: The OceanGate disaster – the full list of victims in the submersible implosion
A new Netflix documentary will explore the OceanGate submersible disaster of 2023, which left five people dead. The Titan submersible was heading down to the wreckage of the Titanic on 18 June. It was an exclusive trip reserved for only the very richest of society, with each seat on the submersible costing $250,000. However, as the Titan approached the wreckage, it stopped communicating and seemingly vanished into thin air. A four-day search and rescue mission took place in the Atlantic Ocean, before debris from the Titan was found nearly 4000m under the sea. It was thought that the Titan imploded, with the submersible's carbon fibres being unable to withstand the extreme pressure of the deep sea. Titan: The OceanGate Disaster will explore how businessman Stockton Rush and his deep-rooted desire to make extreme tourism a reality cost him, and four others, their lives. Here is the full list on who was on the Titan submersible at the time of the disaster. The 61-year-old businessman who co-founded and was CEO of OceanGate, a deep-sea exploration company. Rush had faced criticism from others in the field, and his own employees about the safety of the Titan submersible. Most submersibles are made of titanium or steel – however, the hull of the Titan was made of filament-wound carbon fibre, This made the vessel lighter, and less costly, but carbon fibre was more unpredictable. The Titan was also not 'classed' by an external body or third party. Despite warnings, Rush was confident in his contraption, which made 13 successful trips to the Titanic wreckage before the ill-fated excursion in 2023. A former employee, who was not named, told the BBC: 'Rush was very level-headed, he knew what needed to be done," he said. "He went on every sub dive, he was the pilot for every single one, and that's because he trusted the safety of the sub.' The 77-year-old French sea explorer and Titanic expert had a deep love and interest in the 1912 Titanic shipwreck, to the extent he was nicknamed 'Mr. Titanic' by loved ones. Before his death, he was the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, the company that owns the salvage rights to the storied shipwreck, and the author of the book In the Depths of the Titanic. He had previously made 35 dives towards the wreckage, and was once a decorated commander in chief in the French navy. Nargeolet was reportedly aware that the Titan was a somewhat ramshackled operation. Friends told Vanity Fair that they 'all tried to stop him' from taking part in excursions on the vessel. Somewhat nobly, he reportedly told loved ones: 'Maybe it's better if I'm out there, I can help them from doing something stupid or people getting hurt.' The 58-year-old British adventurer and businessman had a life filled with opportunity and extremes; he previously earned a pilot's license while he was studying for a degree in Cambridge, and launched the first regular business jet service to the Antarctic with his company Action Aviation. Due to his line of work, Harding regularly visited the South Pole. He accompanied Buzz Aldrin in 2016 when the former astronaut became the oldest person to reach the South Pole, age 86. A lifelong aviation buff, in 2019 Harding was one of a team of aviators that took the Guinness World Record for a circumnavigation of the Earth via the North and South Poles in a Gulfstream G650ER in 46 hours and 40 minutes. Two years later, Harding turned his attention to the deep blue seas; working alongside retired naval officer Victor Vescovo as he dived to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench – a staggering 36,000ft deep. This excursion landed him a second Guinness World Record for greatest distance covered at full ocean depth and greatest time spent at full ocean depth. Harding is survived by his wife, Linda, his two sons and two stepchildren. The family lived in Dubai. The 48-year-old British Pakistani businessman worked as a vice-chairman of the Engro Corporation and as a director of the Dawood Hercules Corporation, where he dealt with mergers and acquisitions. He gave significant amounts to charity; he was a trustee of his family's Dawood Foundation, which focused on education. Dawood also coordinated efforts to fight Covid-19 in Pakistan, as well as providing mental health support. He had a lifelong interest in the Titanic and had bought the trip on the Titan for him and his wife, Christine. The trip was then delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – Christine then opted to give her ticket to her son, Suleman. Initially, the 19-year-old university student was not due to go on the trip. When his father, Shahzada, bought the tickets, he intended for just him and his wife to go, as Dawood was too young (the minimum age requirement for the submersible was 18.) However, with the trip being delayed due to the pandemic, and her son really wanting to go, Christine gave up her seat. Dawood was reportedly 'really excited' to be heading down to the wreckage. Per the BBC, Christine revealed her son had taken a Rubik's Cube with him because he wanted to break a world record. Suleman reportedly carried the toy everywhere and wanted to solve the puzzle below the remains of the Titanic to set a world record. Speaking of the loss, Christine said: 'We all thought 'they are just going to come up' so that shock was delayed by about 10 hours or so. There was a time … when they were supposed to be up on the surface again and when that time passed, the real shock, not shock but the worry and the not so good feelings started.' Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims following this tragic event. Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
Chicago Tribune
31-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Tulsa Race Massacre begins
Today is Saturday, May 31, the 151st day of 2025. There are 214 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 31, 1921, a two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as white mobs began looting and burning the affluent Black district of Greenwood over reports a Black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator; though the exact number remains unknown, as many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed during the riot. Column: Let's not forget: Chicago had a 'Black Wall Street' tooAlso on this date: In 1790, President George Washington signed into law the first U.S. copyright act. In 1889, over 2,200 people in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died when the South Fork Dam collapsed, sending 20 million tons of water rushing through the town. In 1949, former State Department official and accused spy Alger Hiss went on trial in New York, charged with perjury (the trial ended with a hung jury, but Hiss was convicted in a second trial.) In 1970, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Ancash region of Peru; the quake, combined with the landslide it triggered, killed an estimated 67,000 people. In 1977, the 800-mile-long Trans-Alaska oil pipeline was completed after three years of construction. In 2005, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein confirmed a Vanity Fair magazine report naming former FBI official W. Mark Felt as the Watergate scandal informant previously known only as 'Deep Throat.' In 2009, Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, died in Hampshire, England at 97. In 2014, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan, was freed by the Taliban in exchange for five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Bergdahl, who'd gone missing in June 2009, later pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan; his sentence included a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank and a fine, but no prison time.) In 2019, a longtime city employee opened fire in a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia, killing 12 people on three floors before police shot and killed him; officials said DeWayne Craddock had resigned by email hours before the shooting. Today's Birthdays: Actor-filmmaker Clint Eastwood is 95. Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath is 82. Actor Tom Berenger is 76. Actor-comedian Chris Elliott is 65. Actor Lea Thompson is 64. Musician Corey Hart is 63. Rapper Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels is 61. Actor Brooke Shields is 60. TV host Phil Keoghan is 58. Jazz musician Christian McBride is 53. Actor Archie Panjabi is 53. Actor Colin Farrell is 49. Singer Normani is 29. Tennis player Iga Świątek is 24.
Boston Globe
31-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Today in History: May 31, the Tulsa Race Massacre begins
In 1889, over 2,200 people in Johnstown, Pa., died when the South Fork Dam collapsed, sending 20 million tons of water rushing through the town. Advertisement In 1921, a two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Okla., as white mobs began looting and burning the affluent Black district of Greenwood over reports a Black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator. Though the exact number remains unknown, as many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed during the riot. In 1949, former State Department official and accused spy Alger Hiss went on trial in New York, charged with perjury. The trial ended with a hung jury, but Hiss was convicted in a second trial. In 1970, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Ancash region of Peru; the quake, combined with the landslide it triggered, killed an estimated 67,000 people. In 1977, the 800-mile-long Trans-Alaska oil pipeline was completed after three years of construction. In 2005, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein confirmed a Vanity Fair magazine report naming former FBI official W. Mark Felt as the Watergate scandal informant previously known only as 'Deep Throat.' Advertisement In 2009, Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, died in Hampshire, England at 97. In 2014, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan, was freed by the Taliban in exchange for five Afghan detainees from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Bergdahl, who had gone missing in June 2009, later pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan. His sentence included a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank, and a fine, but no prison time.) In 2019, a longtime city employee opened fire in a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Va., killing 12 people on three floors before police shot and killed him. Officials said DeWayne Craddock had resigned by email hours before the shooting.
