"There was peace, and the world had an even tenor to its ways. True enough, from time to
time there were events-catastrophes-like the Johnstown Flood, the San Francisco
Earthquake, or floods in China-which stirred the sleeping world, but not enough to keep it
from resuming its slumber. It seems to me that the disaster about to occur was the event,
which not only made the world rub its eyes and awake, but woke it sith a start, keeping it
moving at a rapidly accelerating pace ever since, with less and less peace, satisfaction and
happiness....To my mind, the world of today awoke April 15, 1912."
created on December 6, 1998.
--John B. Thayer Jr., Titanic
passenger