Story of the Titanic
Jason Chen
2024-11-06
Introduction: Unveiling the Titanic’s Data Story
The sinking of the RMS Titanic remains one of the most infamous and tragic disasters in human history. Over 1,500 crew members and passengers lost their lives on April 12, 1912 in what was remarked to be an “unsinkable” ship. While the event is often recounted through stories and tales of heroism, honor, and despair, the passenger data from the Titanic offers a unique perspective to explore the underlying factors that determined a passenger’s survival. By examining factors such as a passenger’s class, gender, age, ticket fare, and embarkation point, the question of “What factors were significant in determining whether a passenger survived the Titanic disaster” can be explored. Was survival a matter of luck, or were systemic social and economic factors at play?
Through data visualizations and analysis, this project tells the story of the Titanic passengers, illustrating how class privilege, societal expectations around gender, and economical privilege contributed to disparities in survival rates. Ultimately, this story aims to shed light on the broader social dynamics of the early 20th century as reflected in one of history’s most infamous disasters.
Embarkation Points
On April 10, 1912, passengers boarded the Titanic from three key locations: Southampton, Cherbourg, and Queenstown. The largest group of passengers embarked at Southampton, reflected by the size of the blue circle on the map. Queenstown, marked by the smallest circle, saw far fewer passengers board. Each embarkation point reveals unique socioeconomic patterns that influenced survival rates. For instance, Cherbourg passengers, many from higher-class cabins, had markedly different outcomes compared to those from Southampton.
Passenger Background:
This heatmap illustrates the relationship between age and fare paid by Titanic passengers. A noticeable concentration of passengers falls within lower fare ranges and younger to middle-aged groups, reflecting the aspirations of many third-class passengers seeking a fresh start in America. These individuals, often families or young single travelers, made up a significant portion of those aboard. In contrast, higher fare ranges were predominantly occupied by older first-class passengers, many of whom were established elites traveling for leisure or business. This contrast highlights the socioeconomic diversity aboard the Titanic and sets the stage for exploring how such factors influenced survival.
As illustrated in the embarkation map and the fare analysis heatmap, passengers boarding the Titanic at different ports exhibited distinct socioeconomic patterns. This Shiny app allows further exploration of these differences by analyzing fare distributions across embarkation points and passenger classes. For instance, passengers boarding at Cherbourg were more likely to pay higher fares, reflecting the concentration of first-class travelers at this port. In contrast, passengers embarking at Southampton and Queenstown tended to have more diverse fare distributions, with a higher representation of second- and third-class passengers. This disparity in fare patterns underscores the socioeconomic diversity of the Titanic’s passengers and sets the stage for examining how these differences impacted survival outcomes.
Survival Analysis: Who Lived and Who Perished?
Class played a decisive role in survival. As shown in the bar chart, first-class passengers had the highest survival rate, benefiting from their proximity to lifeboats and priority in evacuation efforts. Conversely, third-class passengers faced the harshest conditions, often trapped in the lower decks with limited access to lifeboats. As can be seen in the plot, their survival rate was by far the lowest among the 3 classes. This stark disparity reflects the social inequalities that prevailed both on and off the ship.
This animation of survival proportions by fare groups further highlights the stark reality that wealthier individuals, particularly first-class passengers who were able to afford more expensive tickets, were prioritized during the evacuation process.
Societal norms at the time also heavily influenced survival. The saying “women and children first” dictated much of the evacuation process. This trend was most evident in families, where younger children were prioritized for lifeboat access. On the other hand, older adults, especially men, faced lower survival rates, reflecting both physical challenges and societal norms that prioritized others over themselves during the crisis.
This line plot gives a comprehensive view on how a passenger’s age affected his/her survival rate. As illustrated in the previous shiny application, the older a passenger was, the less of a chance he/she had at survival.
Family and Survival
Family size also played a role in survival. Passengers traveling alone or with smaller families had higher survival rates, whereas those with larger families faced greater challenges during evacuation. This disparity is attributed to the difficulties of coordinating and securing spots for larger groups on lifeboats. Larger families were more likely to remain together during the chaos, potentially delaying their access to lifeboats and reducing their chances of survival. This dynamic further highlights the complexities social and logistical factors in the Titanic’s evacuation process.
Conclusion:
The story of the Titanic is not just one of tragedy but also a reflection of the societal structures and norms of the early 20th century. Through an analysis of the data and visualizations, it becomes clear that survival was not merely based off of chance. Factors like a passenger’s socioeconomic status, gender, age, and family size played significant roles in determining a his/her fate. Wealthy first-class passengers benefited from greater access to lifeboats and prioritized evacuation protocols, while societal norms such as “women and children first” increased the survival rates of women and younger passengers. Conversely, passengers in lower-class cabins and larger families faced systemic disadvantages, which significantly reduced their chances of survival. The insights gained from this project highlight the stark disparities in privilege and access that existed aboard the Titanic. Even though this disastrous shipwreck occurred over a century ago, its data-driven story offers important lessons on relieince and the inequalities that shape our lives.