Titanic: Newspaper Front Pages With the First Stories of the Disaster on April 15, 1912

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.

1. Titanic’s Passengers Saved; Liner Sinking (The Oakland Tribune).

Titanic’s Passengers Saved; Liner Sinking

2. White Star Liner Titanic, Biggest Steamship Afloat, Strikes Iceberg on First Trip and Is Sinking (The Hartford Courant).

White Star Liner Titanic, Biggest Steamship Afloat, Strikes Iceberg on First Trip and Is Sinking

3. Titanic Smashes Iceberg; 1,470 Saved (The Binghamton Press).

Titanic Smashes Iceberg; 1,470 Saved

4. “Titanic” Rammed an Iceberg (The Evening Observer).

“Titanic” Rammed an Iceberg

5. White Star Liner Titanic Strikes an Iceberg — Passengers Are Safe and the Vessel Is in Tow (The Elmira Star-Gazette).

White Star Liner Titanic Strikes an Iceberg — Passengers Are Safe and the Vessel Is in Tow

6. Passengers of Titanic Transferred in Safety to Parisian and Carpathia (The Bridgeport Evening Farmer).

Passengers of Titanic Transferred in Safety to Parisian and Carpathia

7. Iceberg Wrecks Titanic (The Daily Gate City).

Iceberg Wrecks Titanic

8. All Titanic Passengers Are Safe; Transferred in Lifeboats at Sea (The Evening Sun).

All Titanic Passengers Are Safe; Transferred in Lifeboats at Sea

9. Liners Taking Off Passengers; Titanic Is Reported Sinking (The Evening World).

Liners Taking Off Passengers; Titanic Is Reported Sinking

10. Titanic Hits Iceberg; People Safe (The Seattle Star).

Titanic Hits Iceberg; People Safe

11. Wireless Saved Titanic’s Passengers: 2210 Persons Taken From Great Liner by Rescuers (The St. Louis Star).

2210 Persons Taken From Great Liner by Rescuers

12. Titanic Survives Iceberg Crash Tho Badly Damaged; Passengers Safe (The Asbury Park Evening Press).

Titanic Survives Iceberg Crash Tho Badly Damaged; Passengers Safe

13. Biggest Ship Afloat Sinking in Mid-Ocean (The Great Falls Daily Tribune).

Biggest Ship Afloat Sinking in Mid-Ocean

14. White Star Liner, Titanic, in Collision With Iceberg on Atlantic Ocean (The Harrisburg Telegraph).

White Star Liner, Titanic, in Collision With Iceberg on Atlantic Ocean

15. Frantic Crowds Storm White Star Offices for Titanic News (1912).

Frantic Crowds Storm White Star Offices for Titanic News (1912)

16. Titanic Unsinkable: She Cannot Sink, Says Official of White Star Line (The Evening World (New York, NY) April 15, 1912, Final Edition).

Titanic Unsinkable: She Cannot Sink, Says Official of White Star Line

(via Click Americana)