Where you can travel back to 1912 and imagine life aboard the Titanic

HOURHave you ever wondered what life was like on board the Titanic for the 2,240 passengers and crew? What are they eating? Where did they sleep? Who survived the sinking of the “unsinkable” luxury liner?

Carnegie Science Center’s Latest Addition Is Immersive TITANIC: Artifact Exhibitionwill be held from October 21 to April 15 in the PPG Science Pavilion.

Experience the maiden voyage of a huge ship heading from Southampton, England to New York City. Remember the days leading up to April 15, 1912, when a collision with an iceberg sent her to the bottom of the North Atlantic, burying secrets that enthusiasts are still trying to uncover.

Visitors to the exhibition receive a copy of the boarding pass with the passenger’s real name and learn about their fate as they traverse the timeline of their fateful journey.

Over 150 original artifacts recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, replica cabins, fact panels and quotes from passengers and crew, video footage, and the opportunity to take a green screen photo from the ship’s hull for your own “king (or queen) of the world” experience. included. The red-lit boiler room and the blue-lit iceberg room will give you chills, especially when you touch the cold 28-degree iceberg to feel the freezing conditions those who went overboard endured.

Wandering the halls, marveling at the condition of the relics and imagining both the grandeur of owning a first-class ticket (a whopping $125,000 today) and the painful fate of its passengers, I suddenly stepped into third class. Cool deck and carried over to the scene from 1997 Titanic when Kate Winslet (Rose) wades through rising water to free Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack) from handcuffs.

Whether you’ve seen the movie 100 times or never knew it existed, you can catch screenings of the blockbuster on the Science Center’s giant screen at the Rangos Theater starting December 26th.

Then stroll through the exhibition to see an ornate first-class smoking chandelier, rivets used in construction, a telegraph mechanism, a warning gong, a stack of white casserole dishes found in near-perfect condition, and several bottles of Adolf Saalfeld’s perfume. which, despite having spent more than nine decades on the ocean floor, are still fragrant.

Other Titanic-themed gatherings at the science center include two events for people 21 and older on Nov. 10 and April 12.

James Penka, Titanic historian and consultant RMS Titanic, Inc.was on hand Thursday during a media preview of the exhibit.

He says he became interested in the Titanic when he was a child, and that passion continues to grow. An actor by trade, the Cleveland native adds that he will lend his expertise to local productions of the musical “Titanic” to ensure they are historically accurate.

Penka has worked for RMST – a subsidiary of Experiential Media Group, the company that was awarded the rights to salvage the shipwreck – for about a year, and travels to various exhibitions around the world to help venues make each event unique. TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition has been touring the world for many years and has been seen by more than 30 million people.

“For me, this tragedy is just part of the tragedy,” he explains of his enthusiasm for the Titanic. “I could research something every day and learn seven new things about it. There are a million little stories about the Titanic and I want to know them all. All Titanic enthusiasts hope to uncover some mystery, but there are some secrets that went down with the ship that we will never know.”

Over seven trips since 1987, more than 5,500 artifacts have been discovered at the site. Among the artifacts on display at the science center is a pair of opera shoes, shoes that men wore on formal occasions.

Penka says the shoes belonged to Edgar Andrew, a 17-year-old passenger who was originally scheduled to leave for America on another ship a week later. However, due to coal strikes, his travel plans were disrupted.

“Just before boarding the Titanic, Edgar wrote a letter to his friend, apologizing for the change of plans. He then wrote: “I’m boarding the greatest steamship in the world, but I’m not really proud of it at all, right now I wish the Titanic was lying on the bottom of the ocean.” He fulfilled his wish and, unfortunately, died along with the ship. I also think what’s interesting about these shoes is that they sat on the ocean floor for 88 years.”

Howard Irwin’s story also piqued Penka’s interest. All of Irwin’s belongings were on board the Titanic, but Irwin was not there because he was late for the ship. His belongings included a gold fountain pen, an inkwell and a postcard of a Pittsburgh train station, which are on display at the science center.

Sarah Reichl, Science Center Marketing Communications Manager, says he thinks TITANIC is one of the coolest exhibits.

“It’s amazing that perfume bottles still have perfume in them, and there’s a bottle that still has champagne in them. For those who survive both above and below water, this is simply incredible,” she adds.

Penka says that when the vials were opened in a room filled with the smell of death, it brought researchers to tears because the room suddenly smelled like roses.

“This exhibition is impressive,” she says. “Every time I expect to see the same artifacts, but they are always different. New stories will be told. And most importantly, these are the real stories of the Titanic.

Tickets for the TITANIC exhibition are sold separately from admission to the science center. Find out more and purchase tickets in advance Here.