3 Things You Didn't Know About the Titanic

TitanicApril 15th marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking. We bring you surprising bits of trivia and Titanic facts you've never heard. By Damon Beres

1. A full moon may have caused the fatal iceberg to cross paths with the ship.
Scientists recently arrived at a new theory that the full moon months before could be to blame for the collision, which killed about 1,500 people.

Quoting astronomer Donald Olson of Texas State University-San Marco, National Geographic's Richard A. Lovett wrote, "That full moon, on January 4, 1912, may have created unusually strong tides that sent a flotilla of icebergs southward-just in time for Titanic's maiden voyage."

This wasn't a normal full moon, though: "It was the closest lunar approach, in fact, since A.D. 796, and Earth won't see its like again until 2257," wrote Lovett.

Video: Watch interviews with Titanic survivors >>

2. Nearly five Titanics could be built with the money James Cameron's Titanic movie has made worldwide.
According to the California ScienCenter, the Titanic would cost about $400 million to build today. James Cameron's Academy Award-winning film Titanic has earned over $1.84 billion worldwide since its release in 1997-enough to construct about 4.6 complete replicas of the ship. That's not counting money earned from the 3D re-release of the film in spring 2012.

Video: Watch a clip of "James Cameron's Last Mysteries of the Titanic" >>

3. New research says an optical illusion prevented the ship from receiving help.
British historian Tim Maltin believes that the atmosphere on the night of the sinking created conditions that made it difficult for the crew to spot icebergs-and for other ships to spot the Titanic.

Smithsonian magazine reported, "Atmospheric conditions in the area that night were ripe for super refraction, Maltin found. This extraordinary bending of light causes miraging, which, he discovered, was recorded by several ships in the area. He says it also prevented the Titanic's lookouts from seeing the iceberg in time and the freighter Californian from identifying the ocean liner and communicating with it."

Video: Watch a video clip about the sinking of the Titanic >>

Keep Reading: 10 More Crazy Facts About the Titanic You Didn't Know>>

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