Wreck of the Titan: 1898 novel by Morgan Robertson.

This is a fairly well-known coincidence. In 1898, Morgan Robertson published a novel in which he described an ocean liner that collides with an iceberg and sinks.



The similarities with the future fate of the Titanic are eerie.

• Unsinkable
  • The Titanic was the world's largest luxury liner (882 feet, displacing 53,000 long tons), and was once described as being (nearly) "unsinkable".
  • The Titan was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men (800 feet, displacing 75,000 tons), and was considered "unsinkable".
• Lifeboats
  • The Titanic carried only 20 lifeboats, less than half the number required for her passenger capacity of 3000.
  • The Titan carried "as few as the law allowed", 24 lifeboats, less than half needed for her 3000 capacity.
• Struck an iceberg
  • Moving too fast at 23 knots, the Titanic struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic 400 miles away from Terranova.
  • Also on an April night in North Atlantic 400 miles from Newfoundland (Terranova) , the Titan hit an iceberg while traveling at 25 knots.
• The Unsinkable Sank
  • The unsinkable Titanic sank, and more than half of her 2208 passengers died.
  • The indestructible Titan also sank, more than half of her 2500 passengers drowning, their "voices raised in agonized screams."

The sad thing is that the designers of the Titanic were clearly not aware of this book, otherwise they probably would have considered either changing the name or increasing the number of lifeboats. Whatever felt right, I guess. Also, it appears that the author's knowledge of the industry was instrumental in his prediction. As for the name, it must truly be a remarcable coincidence.

Lady Gaga, a slave owner (6th century B.C)

The Babylonian Lady Gaga, as referenced in this 1890 article from "The Sunday at home: a family magazine for Sabbath reading" was a slave owner!


(Photo by Michael Spencer used in collage)


Here is the entire account of Lady Gaga's slave:

A curious case which was decided at Babylon on the 17th of Marchesvan, in the 7th year of Nabonidos (b.c. 549), illustrates the attempts sometimes made by a slave to recover hia freedom, and at the same time the care taken by the law that justice should be done to all parties, freemen and slaves alike. A certain Barachiel, whose name seems to show that he was of Jewish descent, had been sold in the 35th year of Nebuchadnezzar by Akhi-nuri, the son of Nebo-nadin-akhi, to a lady named Gaga. Gaga had given him to her daughter Nubta ("the Bee") as part of the latter's dowry, and Nubta had subsequently "alienated him by a sealed contract in exchange for a house and slaves." Barachiel then asserted that he was a freeman, born of a noble Babylonian family and unlawfully detained in servitude. The case accordingly came before the court, consisting of "the high priest, the nobles and the judges." Akhi-nuri did not appear, and it was eventually decided by the confession of Barachiel and a true account of bis former life, that his claim was a fiction.

"Twice have I run away from the house of my master," he said, " but many people were present and I was seen. I was afraid, and said (accordingly) that I was the son of a noble ancestor. My citizenship has no existence; I was the slave of ransom of Gaga. I am a slave. Go now (pronounce sentence) upon me." The court consequently "restored him to his condition of slavery."

One of the proofs of his citizenship brought forward by Barachiel had been that he had joined the hands of the brother and daughter of Akhinuri in matrimony. It would therefore appear that this was a ceremony which could be performed only by a freeman, and that Akhi-uuri should have allowed Barachiel to perform it was a tacit admission that he was no longer a slave. In order to prevent similar attempts to escape on the part of the slaves it was usual for the owners to brand or tattoo them, generally with their master's names.

The remarkable case of Kate Hudson, or Needles and Pins

This most astonishing and bizarre story of Kate Hudson appears in "Kirby's wonderful and eccentric museum; or, Magazine of remarkable characters. Including all the curiosities of nature and art, from the remotest period to the present time, drawn from every authentic source. " Volume 4 (1820). This Kate Hudson, as a young girl, constantly swallowed pins, needles and sharp bone pieces. Frankly, I would be very surprised if the modern Kate Hudson suffered from the same affliction. But then again, coincidences sometimes reveal unusual traits and behaviors. I am not going to share the entire story, much of which is very medical in nature. Suffices to say that were it not the help of Dr. Moises Kate would have surely died.



Some excerpts from the minutes of the case.

• Kate Hudson, a single woman, aged 31, was admitted into the general hospital, Nottingham, on the 4th of August, 1783, for an inflammatory affection of the right arm. On inspection of the arm two needles were discovered under the skin, a little above the dorsal side of the wrist. They lay in a transverse direction, and were readily extracted by pushing the points through the skin, and laying hold of them with a pair of forceps. Upon a more minute examination, some more needles were felt about three inches higher up the forearm, but farther back than the others, and more over the flexor muscles; these lay longitudinally, and appeared to have their heads downwards. These needles were extracted as before, a small puncture with a lancet having been previously made.
  
• October 11. A very large darning needle was this day extracted from her right breast, seemingly buried within a part of the gland; thinks she feels another needle very deep seated under the gland in the middle of the breast; complained of great pain in the breast after the removal of the needle, which, in about an hour afterwards, became so excessive as to throw her into convulsions.
• A splinter came away from the inner angle of the lower jaw on the right side; violent pain in her breast.
• For several days has complained of great pain in her breast; and describes it to' be as if several pins were lodged in the mamma and pectoral muscle, and lying between the two ribs.
• The right mamma was extirpated this day, in the middle of which a needle was found closely impacted; an hemorrhage taking place in the evening, the dressings were removed, and a small artery was taken up; a pin was found in the dressings...
• Complained of pain; the dressings were partially removed; another pin was sticking to the dressings; four other pins were also discovered in the wound, which were removed without difficulty. One of the pins having lost the head, her perception was so accurate as to distinguish it before removing the dressings.
• On removing the dressings two pins were found adhering to them.
• This morning thirty-four pieces of bone were working their way through the sinus.
• This morning a portion of bone, about three quarters of an inch in length, of a curved form with points, was discharged by stool.

Finally, after many months of anguish and treatment, Kate Hudson could resume a normal life. Years later, Dr. Moises made the following entry:


July 26, 1792. I have this day been credibly informed by a neighbour and relation of Kate Hudson, that she is married, has two fine children, and enjoys better health than for several years past.