Here are some front pages of newspapers around the country, showing very first reports of the Titanic disaster.
Newspaper front pages with the first stories of the Titanic disaster on April 15, 1912
As you can see, several of the headlines were completely inaccurate. Of course, that’s to be expected — there was very little information available at the time, and the news that did come in was delivered via telegraph.
Furthermore, many news reports were hampered by confusion in the chaos, as well as by some opinions presented as fact. For example, one statement was issued by the White Star Line that said, in part, “I am free to say that no matter how bad the collision with an iceberg, the Titanic would float. She is an unsinkable ship.”
By the next day, almost everyone knew the truth: some 1,500 people had died on that cold, dark night.
Titanic’s Passengers Saved; Liner Sinking (The Oakland Tribune).White Star Liner Titanic, Biggest Steamship Afloat, Strikes Iceberg on First Trip and Is Sinking (The Hartford Courant).Titanic Smashes Iceberg; 1,470 Saved (The Binghamton Press).“Titanic” Rammed an Iceberg (The Evening Observer).White Star Liner Titanic Strikes an Iceberg — Passengers Are Safe and the Vessel Is in Tow (The Elmira Star-Gazette).Passengers of Titanic Transferred in Safety to Parisian and Carpathia (The Bridgeport Evening Farmer).Iceberg Wrecks Titanic (The Daily Gate City).All Titanic Passengers Are Safe; Transferred in Lifeboats at Sea (The Evening Sun).Liners Taking Off Passengers; Titanic Is Reported Sinking (The Evening World).Titanic Hits Iceberg; People Safe (The Seattle Star).Wireless Saved Titanic’s Passengers: 2210 Persons Taken From Great Liner by Rescuers (The St. Louis Star).Titanic Survives Iceberg Crash Tho Badly Damaged; Passengers Safe (The Asbury Park Evening Press).Biggest Ship Afloat Sinking in Mid-Ocean (The Great Falls Daily Tribune).White Star Liner, Titanic, in Collision With Iceberg on Atlantic Ocean (The Harrisburg Telegraph).Frantic Crowds Storm White Star Offices for Titanic News (1912).Titanic Unsinkable: She Cannot Sink, Says Official of White Star Line (The Evening World (New York, NY) April 15, 1912, Final Edition).
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