Titanic amazed the world in 1997 with a story that earned him 11 Oscars. Its plot secured a place within pop culture after obtaining a profitable box office and the taste of the spectators.
Although the love of Jack and Rose captivated millions of fans over the years, there are several true stories that James Cameron included in his film that must be remembered. The fate of the couple formed by Ida and Isidor Straus is perhaps one of the most romantic and tragic left by the sinking of the Titanic.
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The death of Isidor and Ida Straus on the Titanic
If you saw Titanic you noticed that in the final scene a couple hugs and cries while the water enters their room. This moment was included by Cameron thanks to the story of the death of Isidor and Ida Straus, millionaires who were traveling on the ship.
Born into a Jewish family in Otterberg in 1845, Isidor immigrated with his family to the United States as a child. Over time, he moved to New York, where he met Ida, a woman who came from Germany.
In New York, Isidor worked at L. Straus and Sons, which quickly became Macy’s glassware and china department. In 1888, he and his brother became partners in the first major American department store. In 1896 they were already owners.
When the Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912, Isidor and Ida were returning home from a vacation in France. As a first-class passenger, Ida was immediately offered space in a lifeboat. Isidor accompanied her, but when it was time to go upstairs, she refused, despite the fact that the women and children had a guaranteed space. She would not let her husband die alone. Isidor was also offered a place in the lifeboat alongside her, but he too refused, saying he “would not go before other men”.
After they both turned down their slots, they gave their turns to other women. A witness said that he heard Ida say: “We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go”. They walked around the ship and were seen no more.
In 2017, one of his great-grandsons, Paul A. Kurzman, shared with USA Today more details about his great-grandparents’ death. He mentioned that he first heard the remarkable story of his relatives from his grandmother, the Strausses’ eldest daughter, Sara Straus Hess, during dinners the family had.
Kurzman revealed that director James Cameron invited him and the ancestors of John Jacob Astor IV and Margaret ‘Molly’ Brown to participate in a National Geographic special titled Titanic: 20 Years.
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