1

Construction costs that’d make your wallet faint

Image: Jaime Labra

Back in 1912, the Titanic cost $7.5 million to build, and if you're wondering what that’d be today, it’d be over $400 million. That’s more than some sports stadiums! It took nearly three years to complete and was one of the most extravagant ships ever made.

2

Yes, there were dogs

Image: Yuki Dog

As it turns out, the Titanic wasn’t just for people. At least 12 dogs came along for the ride , lounging in a special first-class kennel. There was even a dog show scheduled for the morning of April 15. Sadly, only three tiny dogs survived, all small enough to sneak onto lifeboats tucked in coats or handbags.

3

The band really did play on

Image: Parizan Studio

Wallace Hartley, the bandleader, went down in history, and with his violin! His group kept playing as chaos unfolded around them, trying to calm passengers with music, just like the movie portrays. He didn’t make it, but his violin was found intact and later sold at an auction for $1.7 million!

4

A pocket watch frozen in time

Image: Otto Hyytiälä

The violin was not the only treasure found. Sidney Sedunary was a young steward whose pocket watch stopped ticking at exactly 1:50 a.m. , just before the ship went under. He was last seen handing out lifejackets to third-class passengers. That same watch, rusted but intact, still tells his story.

5

A survivor with frostbitten legs and Olympic dreams

Image: Shep McAllister

Richard Norris Williams spent six hours in icy water, and doctors on the rescue ship wanted to amputate his legs. He refused . And you may think he was crazy to do so, but thank God he did! He went on to win a Wimbledon title and an Olympic gold medal. How crazy is that?

6

Finding the Titanic by accident

Image: Karl Callwood

In 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard found the Titanic wreck. But that was just an accident ; he was actually sent by the Navy to look for two lost nuclear submarines and used the Titanic as a cover story.

7

Dishes still stacked neatly on the ocean floor

Image: Jannet Serhan

When explorers visited the Titanic wreck in 1986, they found plates still stacked like someone had just finished doing the dishes. Turns out, the wooden cabinet they were in rotted away , leaving the china perfectly arranged on the sea floor. It’s as eerie as fascinating, considering the many years that passed.

8

The ship is rusting away

Image: NOAA

And speaking of the amount of time the Titanic has been underwater, we have to say that nature is reclaiming the Titanic bit by bit. A newly discovered bacterium is literally eating the ship. Scientists estimate it could disappear completely in 20 to 30 years. The latest expeditions have already shown evidence that pieces that were previously there are gone. So… the clock's ticking.

9

No photos of the grand staircase?

Image: Maria Orlova

You’ve probably seen images of the Titanic’s beautiful grand staircase. We’re sorry to disappoint, but they’re not of the Titanic . They’re from her sister ship, the Olympic. No one thought to take a picture of the real deal before the maiden voyage. And they definitely didn’t think of doing it while it happened!

10

Milton Hershey almost boarded

Image: Janne Simoes

If the name rings a bell, that’s because it’s the same Hershey from the chocolate you love. The man behind Hershey’s chocolate bars almost booked a room on the Titanic . He even wrote a $300 deposit check (big money back then!). But business delayed him, and he skipped the trip. Who do we thank for that?

11

The baker who survived two hours in icy water

Image: Maxim Hopman

Here’s a fascinating fact: Charles Joughin, the Titanic’s chief baker, survived one of the worst parts of the sinking: the freezing Atlantic water. He was reportedly treading water for two hours before rescue. Wanna know how he made it? He had been sipping whiskey to face his fate, and the alcohol in his blood kept him warm enough to survive.

12

The last lunch menu went for a tasty sum

Image: Zoshua Colah

In 2015, a copy of Titanic’s last first-class lunch menu sold for $88,000 . That’s one pricey memento. The menu included grilled mutton chops, chicken à la Maryland, and corned ox tongue. Safe to say lunch on the Titanic wasn’t your average sandwich and chips.

1

No Taxation Without Representation

Image: Board of Stamps

After the French and Indian War in 1763, American colonists were surprised to find that, instead of being rewarded for their efforts, the British Parliament raised their taxes and enacted new ones, such as the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. Soon, these burdensome laws sparked widespread protests and boycotts under the rallying cry of "No Taxation Without Representation."

Initially, most colonists only wanted to be recognized as rightful British citizens. However, the brutal reaction of the Crown—sending troops to contain the unrest and force compliance—convinced many that independence was the only way to achieve their rights. The tragic incident known as the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, was the tipping point in this chain of events, inflaming anti-British sentiment.

2

Boston Tea Party

Image: W.D. Cooper

The Tea Act, enacted on May 10, 1773, granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, further enraging the already weary colonists. This led a group of rebel colonists, known as the Sons of Liberty, to take matters into their own hands. In direct response to the Tea Act, they boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, worth £9,659 (equivalent to $1,700,000 today).

This act of defiance, later known as the Boston Tea Party , was a bold statement against British taxation and control. However, it also prompted the British government to further restrict colonial autonomy by implementing the Intolerable Acts (also known as the Coercive Acts).

3

The Midnight Ride

Image: National Archives and Records Administration

The British government's punitive measures only fueled the burgeoning revolutionary movement. In 1774, the First Continental Congress was convened, with representatives from each colony attending. During these meetings, the delegates agreed to coordinate militia training and resistance.

The situation remained tense for a year until King George ordered British troops to seize the rebels' weapons and arrest their leaders. However, the colonial militia was warned of the approaching British forces the night before, thanks to the heroic midnight ride of Paul Revere and other patriots. Their ride was crucial in mobilizing the Minutemen and ensuring they were prepared for the British assault.

4

Shot Heard 'Round the World

Image: William Barnes Wollen

The first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. British troops aimed to seize colonial arms, but the Minutemen refused to comply and confronted them, leading to a series of skirmishes known as the Battles of Lexington and Concord. These clashes demonstrated the colonies' determination to fight for their rights and ignited an all-out war.

The first significant military encounter of the American Revolutionary War, it resulted in a resounding American victory that encouraged other colonists to support and join the revolutionary efforts. Due to its significance and lasting consequences, the event was later referred to as the "shot heard round the world," a phrase that stems from the first stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1837 commemorative poem.

5

Raising the Banner

Image: Winthrop Chandler

The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, proved that the colonists could stand up to the British army. As Loyalist forces sought to capture the strategically important hills surrounding the besieged city of Boston, Patriot Colonel William Prescott directed his troops to occupy these positions in advance.

Though the battle was technically a British victory, the colonial forces inflicted heavy casualties on the British—approximately 1,000 British soldiers compared to around 500 American casualties. This showed the Crown that quelling the fight for independence would be a long and costly campaign, while simultaneously boosting American morale and convincing many that victory was within reach.

6

A Declaration of Independence

Image: John Trumbull

Emboldened by their success, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress—at the time the de facto unified colonial government representing each of the former colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence .

Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the document declared the colonies' separation from Britain and articulated a vision of liberty and democracy , rejecting monarchy and aristocracy. It was a bold assertion of the colonies' right to self-governance, inspiring similar revolutionary movements around the world and influencing future generations.

7

Crossing the Delaware

Image: Emanuel Leutze

On Christmas night of 1776, General Washington led a daring and successful surprise attack across the icy Delaware River. This bold maneuver demonstrated both Washington's genius and leadership, as well as the Continental Army's resolve to defeat the British forces at any cost.

The subsequent victory at the Battle of Trenton significantly boosted morale and reinvigorated the revolutionary cause across the continent. Despite the British having considerable advantages, including a highly trained and battle-tested army, they systematically underestimated the revolutionaries, believing them to be merely a group of renegades whose defeat would restore loyalist allegiance to the Crown.

8

Turning the Tide

Image: John Trumbull

The American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in late 1777 marked a turning point in the war. Not only did American forces manage to capture a large British invasion army and halt the British advance in the north, but the triumph also resonated across Europe.

When news of General Burgoyne's surrender reached France, it convinced King Louis XVI to join the conflict as an ally to the Americans, providing much-needed military support and resources. This alliance significantly bolstered the American cause and forced the British to view the war as part of a larger global campaign, further straining their already depleted resources.

9

The French Connection

Image: Eugène Delacroix

The Siege of Yorktown in 1781 was the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. American and French forces, led by General Washington and General Rochambeau, successfully trapped British General Cornwallis's army.

The Franco-American alliance proved decisive, compelling Cornwallis to surrender and prompting the British government to negotiate an end to the increasingly costly conflict. This effectively ended major combat operations and marked the beginning of the end for British rule in America.

10

Negotiating Peace

Image: John D. Morris & Co. after Wilhelm Anton Seiler

The Treaty of Paris , signed on September 3, 1783, officially ended the Revolutionary War. Negotiated by American diplomats Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, it recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation. The treaty delineated the boundaries between British North America, later known as Canada, and the nascent United States.

Although British efforts to undermine the American colonies persisted for decades, eventually leading to the War of 1812, the treaty granted legitimacy to the revolutionaries' efforts on the world stage and marked the beginning of a new era.

1

Approval voting

Image: Element5 Digital

The approval voting system is an electoral mechanism in which each voter may select any number of candidates, and the winner is the candidate approved by the largest number of voters .

This differs from plurality voting, in which a voter may choose only one option from several, and the option with the most votes wins.

2

Ballot fatigue

Image: Phil Hearing

If you have ever looked at a ballot and felt overwhelmed by the long list of races and issues further down, you have experienced ballot fatigue . This occurs when voters choose not to vote on lower-ballot races or issues.

3

Blanket primary

Image: Mick Haupt

A blanket primary is an election in which voters can select candidates from any party , regardless of their own or the candidates' political affiliation. This contrasts with a closed primary, where only registered party members can vote

4

Canvass

Image: Ernie Journeys

This term has two possible meanings. On the one hand, canvassing refers to the process of aggregating and verifying all valid ballots cast , which includes absentee, early voting, Election Day, provisional, challenged, military, and overseas citizens.

The second definition of this word, in the context of elections, canvassing also refers to the act of soliciting votes .

5

Caucus

Image: Arnaud Jaegers

A caucus can refer to a closed meeting of members of the same political party or faction, typically held to select candidates or decide on policy. It can also mean a group of people united to promote a shared cause . Similar, perhaps, but not the same.

6

Electoral college

Image: Joshua Woroniecki

An electoral college is a body of people known as presidential electors , formed every four years to represent U.S. states, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president .

7

Mixed ticket

Image: Tiffany Tertipes

A concept somewhat similar to the previously mentioned blanket primary, a mixed ticket is a ballot where voters may select candidates of their choice regardless of party affiliation up to the maximum allowed for each race.

8

Dark money

Image: Mathieu Turle

In the context of elections, dark money refers to funds that are donated to a political candidate during an election campaign from organizations that are not required to disclose their donor’s identities . As expected, this money is often used to influence elections.

9

Gerrymandering

Image: Element5 Digital

This unusual word describes the process of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one party or candidate over another. Wayne Dawkins, a professor at Morgan State University, explains it as "politicians picking their voters instead of voters picking their politicians."

10

Super PAC

Image: Mockup Free

A Super PAC (Political Action Committee) does not contribute to candidates or parties but makes independent expenditures in federal races , such as running ads, sending mail, or communicating other messages that specifically advocate for the election or defeat of a particular candidate.

11

Air gap

Image: Andrew Neel

Put in simple terms, an air gap is a physical separation between systems that requires data to be transferred manually, using methods like a disc, flash drive, or other portable media.

Election systems use air gaps intentionally to prevent or control access . The election system cannot be connected to the internet at any time.

12

Undervote

Image: Glen Carrie

As the name suggests, an undervote occurs when a voter selects fewer choices than allowed in a contest . Similarly, an overvote happens when a voter selects more choices than permitted.