Unsinkable: The Titanic Podcast

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

An exciting new Titanic project: "Unsinkable is a shattering new play from Liverpool creatives Matthew Reynolds and Joseph Winder, developed from a finalist piece at Tip Tray Theatre’s What Happens Next? 2025, now a full-scale production heading to Hope Street Theatre from 30th September to 3rd October 2026.

This is a project that already has momentum, from competition acclaim to a sold-out staged reading, and now needs your support to take this final step onto the stage.

We’re not waiting for someone else to make this happen, we’re doing it ourselves. With your support, we can...

What if Robert Ballad, who discovered the wreck of Titanic in 1985 alongside a French oceanographic team, had decided to salvage Titanic himself? How would the Titanic world look now? The artifacts, where would they be, how many would their be? Join us as we jump into one of the most complex and intriguing "what ifs" yet...

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com...

Here's a refresher on Ballard, a re-release of my episode from back in 2021!

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

A very special announcement! I'll be joining J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch and a whole crew of wonderful Titanic experts the night of April 14th for a Titanic sinking livestream/conversation. 

Join us on this channel: https://www.youtube.com/parttimeexplorer

Also check out all of Tad and Kent's April (and anytime!) Titanic content via these links: 

Support the show

Support Un...

Today I'm joined by James Penca from the Witness Titanic podcast for a fascinating and heartfelt look at the stories of a few of Titanic's third class passengers, ones too often left out of more sensational narratives. Together, we shine a light on journeys across the Atlantic that reveal so much more than tragedy. Through their own words and research into both their socioeconomic and cultural lives, we uncover a wealth of insight into the American immigration experience. From the hopes and hardships that drove people to leave everything behind, to the systems and realities that shaped their arrival...

Today's episode dives even deeper into the fascinating but complex familial history of Archibald Gracie IV, one of the most well-documented survivors of the Titanic disaster. We'll explore the layers of his lineage and how he viewed it, from his questionable passion for a Confederate military heritage to the personal tragedies that shaped the man who found himself aboard that ship in April 1912. 

In his memoir about the sinking, Archie the Fourth claimed that all lines of class had been blasted apart that night. Had they really? Did he have any perspective, really, to offer on this a...

The Gracie family, starting with its original Scottish immigrant Archibald, built a shipping empire in 18th and 19th century America--New York to Alabama--that profoundly shaped economic development. But their wealth was deeply entangled with the slave trade, its plantation economy, and later the Civil War itself. Their legacy, memorialized in landmarks like Gracie Mansion (now the NYC mayor's residence), reflects the uncomfortable truth of how American prosperity was built on exploitation. When Archibald Gracie IV stepped on to the decks of Titanic, he'd inherited a complicated legacy and was fighting tooth and nail to prove the worth of his...

Happy 2026! Join me in a new season as I take a look at Titanic's historiography, changing legacy, and questions of its over-commodification. Feel free to reach out with feedback!

All of the books I recommend can be found here, where you can purchase and support the podcast + local independent bookstores: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.c...

Join author Richard Stone and myself as we discuss his work Project Mayflower: Building and Sailing a 17th Century Replica--a detailed and important dive into the legacy of the Mayflower and how its replica (a joint venture between the US and the UK) has also resonated for several generations. 

You can find the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/80949/9781493084364

The Titanic and the Mayflower stand as perhaps the two most iconic vessels in modern cultural memory, legacies enduring not through military conquest or commercial success, but through their profound symbolic resonance in the collective imagination. B...

Come along as we unpack a veritable grab-bag of "what if" questions, some submitted by listeners! These are questions that perhaps can't warrant their own episode but are important to address nonetheless.

Thanks to Pablo as always and to you, the listeners, for being here!

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop...

Titaniac alert! This is a fun and moving one. 

Tim Baker is an actor, screenwriter, and firm believer that iced coffee should be its own food group. A Midwest-born, East Coast-raised transplant, he now calls Los Angeles home. Fueled by a healthy dose of sarcasm and a lifelong love for history, he writes about dynamic, flawed, and multifaceted characters—probably because he finds perfect people incredibly boring. His daily routine consists of a three-mile run, followed by several hours of trying to keep up with the stories in his head and petting every dog he sees.

F...

Noah Angell is an artist who has exhibited and performed internationally. He's also an author - last year he published his first book, Ghosts of the British Museum, a meticulously-researched, genre-defying narrative non-fiction work about the storied museum's many ghosts. He's currently at work on his first feature-length documentary film, and is speaking to us today from Durham, North Carolina.

Join me for a truly meaningful conversation about artifacts, the energies they hold, the importance of oral history, and how we can denaturalize museums to further understand the oft-violent but infinitely important histories of cultures around the...

Join me for a fantastic interview with renowned lawyer and journalist Adam Cohen, whose new non-fiction work--Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial that Changed Legal History--takes a look at one of the most controversial maritime cases of all time, on the cusp of the age of steam.

From Author's Equity: "On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to...

*Yes, mange is real in humans, I looked it up!

*The film podcast I mention is Unspooled, with Amy Nicholson!

Enjoy this fun dive into the life, love and manic-pixie-dream-boy aura of our favorite fictional Titanic third class passenger. Thanks to Pablo, as always, for joining me on this adventure.

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/
<...

In this second part of my exploration of the Astor fortune and its relationship with Mackinac Island and native communities, I look at the ways by which the fur trader impacted the island and its ecosystems, both human and non-human. I also break down the evolution of the island into a tourist destination, how the Astors bowed out of it as the fur business died down, but how ultimately they ended up back there in spirit. The Grand Hotel’s history also highlights here the growth of tourism, a leisure class, and a century-long national obsession with Gilded Age ro...

Visit my Bookshop link to buy the book club books and support the pod plus indie booksellers! https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

New pod merch can be found here: https://www.bonfire.com/store/unsinkable-the-titanic-podcast/

20% of proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen!

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my B...

The Astor family name conjures images of Gilded Age opulence and tragedy—perhaps most famously embodied by John Jacob Astor IV, who perished aboard the Titanic in 1912. But the roots of one of America's first great fortunes stretch back much further, to the late 18th century when German immigrant John Jacob Astor built a fur trading empire that spanned from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest. His American Fur Company turned remote outposts like Mackinac Island into crucial commercial hubs, fundamentally shaping the economic development of the American frontier. Over multiple generations, the Astors transformed their wilderness wealth in...

What is Captain Smith hadn't gone down with the ship but instead lived to attend the inquiries and be inevitably torn apart by the press? How does he live with himself? How does Titanic's legacy change? Is there a chance it did happen and someone saw Smith in Baltimore years later? Wild to imagine right...?

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/<...

I'm back and energized for a whole new relevant and real era of Unsinkable. Take a listen! xLA

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

Join me and Pablo for another riveting "what if" in Titanic land! What if Titanic had enough lifeboats for all its passengers and crew? Would they have been loaded in enough time? Would all lives have been saved? More? What would change about the ship's legacy?

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront...

Ever wonder what became of Rose after she walked off of the Carpathia? Get in, let's go find out...

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

This is a fun one! Pablo and I unpack the utter DESOLATION of a world without the success of 1997's Titanic. Imagine if somehow the Hollywood nutjobs who harassed James Cameron during the production were...right? That audiences wouldn't respond? How would it have affected what museums and memorial sites we have now, or how Titanic's legacy survives? What is pop culture without Jack and Rose? What is film history without this particular monocultural moment?

I shudder to think!

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www...

Join me and Pablo as we reflect on the wonder that swept the world when the shipwreck of Titanic was finally found in 1985 by Robert Ballard, and how it changed not just history books, but our own lives. We dive into a fascinating “what if”—imagining a world where Ballard never found the wreck. We discuss how the cultural history of the Titanic would be completely different: museums in Belfast, Southampton, Cobh, the United States might never have opened, millions of people may never have become enamored, and the ship’s story might have faded into obscurity. This series is a stu...

Join me and fellow Titanic expert Pablo O'Hana for an intriguing and oft-narrative-bending journey into the "what ifs" of Titanic's sinking. For decades historians and fanatics alike have tossed around theories of who was to blame, or what might have happened if a few details were different that fateful night. In this conversations series we'll unpack some of the most controversial questions in an attempt to present Titanic's cultural and social history in a brand new light. Cheers!

Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast on your player of choice.

Episodes will air on Patreon...

Join me and fellow Titanic expert Pablo O'Hana for an intriguing and oft-narrative-bending journey into the "what ifs" of Titanic's sinking. For decades historians and fanatics alike have tossed around theories of who was to blame, or what might have happened if a few details were different that fateful night. In this conversations series we'll unpack some of the most controversial questions in an attempt to present Titanic's cultural and social history in a brand new light. Cheers!

Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast on your player of choice.

Episodes will air on Patreon...

Join me for a lively conversation with author Nelson Aspen, whose new book Kindred Spirits: A Titanic Tale drops us into a split timeline as two young men come to terms with their environment, their passions, and their (of course) history. 

Nelson's website, which includes book tour info: http://www.nelsonaspen.com/KindredSpirits/

Find Nelson and Alexandra's podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/titanic-talk/id1680985773

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: htt...

Find information on Let Us March On and how to find it here, on Shara Moon's website: https://sharamoon.com/

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

Happy Black History Month! Today we explore the life of Harriet Tubman, who every American school child learns a LITTLE about. Her life was much more complex and grittier than typical textbooks will lead one to believe; her work on the Underground Railroad is just the tip of our proverbial iceberg. During the Civil War, Tubman risked her life to scout and spy for the Union Army as well as worked tirelessly to provide social services for recently-freed slaves. Join me as we unpack the mythologies, bust them open as usual, and give thanks for those historical figures who...

For more information on Historic Biltmore Village and how to help its rebuilding process, head here: https://www.historicbiltmorevillage.com/

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina (where I live!) is essentially a whole other world. Some liken it to a "Disneyland" for the more historically-centered. Its history is wrought with questionable choices but its legacy teaches us much about economic history as well as class struggles. In this episode I explore the planning and building orchestrated by its creator, George Vanderbilt. In Part Two later this month I'll explore life at Biltmore and how it became the tourist Mecca we know it as now.

For further reading in environmental history around this time, as mentioned in the...

Join Pablo O'Hana, record-breaking fourth time Unsinkable guest, and me for a lively discussion of the evolution of modern marketing in the US and the UK. We take a look at the strategies used by the White Star Line and her competitors to bolster their reputations of luxury and size ("Have you heard of Dr. Freud, Mr. Ismay?") on the coveted Trans-Atlantic route in the early twentieth-century. A marketing and public relations expert himself, Pablo walks us through what advertising looked like in 1912 and what parts of that era stay with us even now in our everyday lives.
<...

Help Asheville and its continuing recovery from Hurricane Helene here:
https://www.belovedasheville.com/

Find all info related to Titanic: An Immersive Voyage here: https://expo-titanic.com/

Happy holidays!

*Note: As a historian and former museum professional, I should make the disclaimer that Titanic: An Immersive Voyage does have some artifacts on display without standard placards and provenance. 

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Please consider donating to help the victims of this disaster. Our beautiful mountain city is in ruins. Links here: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/10/02/asheville-nc-flooding-how-to-help-helene-relief-efforts-in-western-nc/75472474007/

If you'd like to help the pod stay up and running during this time/support our little family during displacement, consider becoming a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https...

Please excuse some inferior sound, I am displaced from my studio at the moment because of some very disagreeable pipes at our house that decided to flood our bottom floor. 

Sex is discussed in this episode, just a heads up, but not in any graphic way.

Find our Outlander podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-outlander-rewatch/id1655047578

Books referenced in this episode (purchasing them through my link supports the podcast as well as indie bookstores!):

*Susan Douglas, Where the Girls Are: https://bookshop.org/a/80949/9780812925302

*Mary Pipher, R...

*Disclaimer: this episode includes the opinions of myself and my guest and is not intended to reflect anyone else's. We are not associated with RMST, Inc. in any way. When facts about the company are presented, we make sure to note them and mark them separately from our opinions.*

Find Pablo here: https://www.instagram.com/pabs94/

For Pablo’s article: https://pabloohana.medium.com/judge-smith-has-got-it-completely-wrong-on-titanic-2373bf23c8bd

For the BBC artifact warehouse article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1vd9k33r00o

For the BBC RMST article, in...

This was a Patreon bonus episode but too fun to not unlock!

I bring you an amazing EXTRA SPECIAL episode with my friend and fellow Titaniac Jamie Didawick. We met on Instagram when she found the podcast a couple of years ago and have since bonded over both Titanic and Disney. She's a travel agent (the best one ever) and she helped me and my family have the time of our lives at Disney World just a few weeks ago. This is a conversational episode about everything from James Cameron's Pandora at Disney to our favorite 1997 moments...

This was a Patreon bonus episode but too fun to not unlock!

I bring you an amazing EXTRA SPECIAL episode with my friend and fellow Titaniac Jamie Didawick. We met on Instagram when she found the podcast a couple of years ago and have since bonded over both Titanic and Disney. She's a travel agent (the best one ever) and she helped me and my family have the time of our lives at Disney World just a few weeks ago. This is a conversational episode about everything from James Cameron's Pandora at Disney to our favorite 1997 moments...

Thank you for AN AMAZING SEASON! Happy summer and love to you all!

Find the Insta for my forthcoming Outlander podcast here:
https://www.instagram.com/thegreatoutlanderrewatch/

For Paul's new Titanic podcast collaboration with Titanic Book Club, go here! https://www.youtube.com/@titanicbookclub

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles

Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/

Support the pod via m...

Join me in an audio essay, a love letter if you will, to the oak paneling made so iconic by the final scene of James Cameron’s Titanic and its new home at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. A huge thank you to the museum for their support of the podcast for the past two years: I am honored to work with you all and I wish you the best with this exciting new exhibit! Emily Densky joins me from the museum to discuss its opening and plans for the new space.

Buy Paula Parisi’s bo...