OceanGate tragedy shares eerie link to couple who died in Titanic shipwreck
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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jimmy Swaggart, ogbonge televangelist wey die at di age of 90 bin make news for im following and scandal
US televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, don die at di age of 90 years. Di family say di preacher bin dey intensive care for hospital afta im bin suffer heart attack for im house for Baton Rouge on 15 June. "For ova seven decades, Brother Swaggart bin pour out im life to preach di gospel, sing songs of faith, and point millions to di saving power of Jesus Christ and di Baptism of di Holy Spirit," im church tok for inside statement as dem confam im death. Dis na tins you need to know about di Ogbonge American evangelist. Life and times of Jimmy Swaggart Oga Swaggart bin start to broadcast sermons in di 1960s and become a pioneer of televangelism, wey extend im his success into a media empire until one sex scandal ssata eviritin. For im peak in di 1980s, Oga Swaggart broadcast bin dey reach millions of viewers for more dan 100 kontris and e bring in $140 million a year, along wit sales of gospel albums and branded items wey range from bible study manuals to remake of Jesus crown of thorns. Im bin describe imself as an "old-fashioned, Holy Ghost-filled, shouting, weeping, soul-winning, Gospel-preaching preacher" to di media. Im Family Worship Center for Baton Rouge dey sit 7,000 pipo, wia im dey conduct im intense services. Worshipers often dey cry and sometimes speak in tongues - na sign of deep devotion for American Pentecostal faith wey Oga Swaggart bin dey practice. Im bin dey like to preach about di eternal struggle between good and evil, wey bin include sermons against temptations of di flesh. For 1988, wen im been dey reign well-well, photographers bin snap oga Swaggart for New Orleans wit a sex worker. Di fallout increase afta im bin address di incident wit im congregation. For one televised appearance, im bin beg for forgiveness for im sins as tears roll down for im face. "To di hundreds of millions wey I don stand bifor … I don sin against una, and I dey beg una to forgive me," im tok. "I don sin against you, my Lord." Oga Swaggart bifor dis mata bin dey highly critical of oda high-profile preachers, especially those wey get similar scandals. Im bin also make controversial comments about Catholicism and Judaism, e call dem illegitimate faiths. Tori be say dem catch again wit a sex worker again three years later, dis time na for California. Im bin no too apologise like im bin do for di first one, "di Lord bin tell me say na none of una business," na so im tok for one broadcast. Afta di New Orleans scandal, dem comot Oga Swaggart from di ultra-conservative Assemblies of God, one association of Pentecostal churches. Religious network drop im programs and di size of im ministry, wey once be a major employer for Louisiana, shrink. Legal troubles wey get to do wit tax payments further drain im resources.
Times
19 minutes ago
- Times
Aerial Photographer of the Year: the 2025 winners
The inaugural Aerial Photographer of the Year awards attracted 1,549 entries from around the globe, the photographers using drones, aircraft, helicopters and even balloons. The judging panel selected the top 101 images for publication and awarded the ultimate accolade to Joanna Steidle of the United States. Daniel Viñé Garcia, from Spain, and David Swindler, another American, took second and third place respectively in the photographer of the year category. Australia's Ignacio Palacios won photograph of the year, second and third place going to Talor Stone and Thomas Vijayan respectively. Awards for special categories spanning black and white, abstract, drone and chairman's choice were also handed out. Pal Hermansen, who won the special award in the drone category, captured a snow blizzard by a lake's edge in Norway COVER IMAGES Colin Leonhardt's photo of an alumina mine tailings dam, a waste pond for bauxite ore extraction, earned the special award in the abstract category COVER IMAGES Two seals lounging on a drifting slab of ice in the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, southern Iceland, helped Fabien Guittard seal the win in the chairman's choice category COVER IMAGES A lava river flows out of the Litli-Hrutur volcano, Iceland, hours after its 2023 eruption, in this panoramic shot by Mike Mezeul SWNS Ignacio Palacios's photo of the Cono de Arita in the middle of the Arizaro salt flats in Argentina earned him the photograph of the year award COVER IMAGES A polar bear in Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago, after eating a walrus carcass, captured by Pal Hermansen, the winner of the special award in the drone category COVER IMAGES The alumina mine near Collie in Western Australia, photographed by Colin Leonhardt COVER IMAGES The Brasvellbreen glacier, part of the Austfonna Ice Cap in Svalbard, earned Thomas Vijayan third place in the photograph of the year category and reminded the public of the reality of climate change COVER IMAGES David Swindler captured a swarm of flamingos surrounding a small group of pelicans, as he won third place in the photographer of the year contest COVER IMAGES Glacial calving, the process where chunks of ice break off from a glacier, reveals an organic pattern in the waters of Northeast Greenland National Park in this photograph by Talor Stone COVER IMAGES Daniel Viñé Garcia caught the moment lava from Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano formed a pattern resembling a skull COVER IMAGES Joanna Steidle, the overall winner, also took a photograph of a fever of cownose rays approaching a school of menhaden off the coast of Southampton, New York COVER IMAGES David Swindler's photo of a desert playa, among the flattest of landforms, which can periodically get covered by water — leaving salt, sand and mud after it evaporates COVER IMAGES A dormant volcano in the high-altitude Puna plateau of Argentina reveals intricate erosion patterns sculpted by wind and time in a photo by Daniel Viñé Garcia COVER IMAGES Barbara Brown, the winner of the special award in the black and white category, photographed a salt lake in the Goldfields region of Western Australia COVER IMAGES Joanna Steidle's shot of a humpback whale diving back under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Southampton COVER IMAGES
Scotsman
23 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Love Island narrator apologises for joke on USA version
Love Island narrator Iain Stirling has apologises to fans of the USA version 💕🌴 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Love Island narrator Iain Stirling has got into hot water with fans of USA version. The comedian joked about a dumped islander returning - but it didn't go well. 'I'll be honest, it was, perhaps, a misjudgement by me'. Love Island wouldn't be the same without the wry commentary from Iain Stirling. In fact he is such a fixture that he is also pulling double duty this summer - and offering his witty narration on the American version. ITV2's iconic reality show has been such a hit since it debuted a decade ago that it has unsurprisingly led to plenty of spin-offs. It includes Love Island USA, which is now in its seventh season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Iain Stirling took over narration duties for the show back in its fourth series - and has been a fan favourite. However one of his recent jokes did not go down well and he has had to apologise. But what exactly happened? Here's all you need to know: Love Island USA narrator apologises to fans over joke Love Island narrator (R) Iain Stirling |for MTV The action may have kicked-off in the Mallorca villa for the original ITV2 version of the show - but the American spin-off is also taking place at the same time. The Peacock series started in June and is continuing right now. Unlike the British version, it is filmed in Fiji instead of on a Spanish island. But it does have a familiar voice in the form of narrator Iain Stirling. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He is equally beloved for his witty comments and jokes about the islanders, but he ruffled feathers of fans with a fake-out recently. Stirling joked that beloved-but-dumped islander Jeremiah Brown was returning as a waiter for two other contestants who were on a date. Fans were not happy when this didn't turn out to be the case, as they were hopeful that he was about to make a comeback. Speaking to E! News, Iain said: 'I'll be honest, it was, perhaps, a misjudgement by me. 'I genuinely thought people would appreciate the nod to him, because we very rarely talk about it, but if you think about it, it's an unwritten rule that I never really joke about the islanders once they've gone. I'll maybe do a joke as they're leaving. So it's a big deal.' He continued: 'It was a genuine statement of love that I mentioned Jeremiah after he'd already left the show. I thought people would be, 'Oh, that's funny.' He was such an intrinsic part of the show. Some people did take it as such, and then some people sadly didn't, and I apologize to those people.'
