The Advance of the Low-Priced Automobile (Current Literature Magazine, 1912)In answer to the cry for more affordable cars that can easily be purchased by working families, the French automobile industry of 1912 produced a line of long, narrow, boat-like cars, "mounted on four wire wheels, carrying it's passengers in tandem fashion". The production of these one and two cylinder air-cooled motors was based more upon the production lines of motorcycles rather than cars. The Death of Captain Smith (Current Literature Magazine, 1912)An eye-witness account from one of the survivors concerning the last minutes of Titanic Captain Edward Smith: "'I will go down with the ship,' he cried. He sank immediately, and although those on the collapsible boat watched for him to come up that they might drag him aboard, he never appeared." The Stories of Gallantry (Current Literature Magazine, 1912)A few lines devoted to those who distinguished themselves that sad evening on Titanic, as well as some thoughts concerning the tune, "Autumn" -which was performed during the closing moments of the tragedy. The article is accompanied by a photograph of U.S. Army Major Archie Butt (b. 1865), who was remembered for having kept the order during the evacuation. *Watch an Informative 1970s Documentary * The Crown Prince: Saber Rattler (Current Literature, 1912)The son and heir of the German Kaiser, Crown Prince Wilhelm III (1882 - 1951) was known well throughout the pre-war era for demonstrating his dislike of the German Government's peaceful policies and especially for his belligerent, anti-British remarks, which caused tremendous embarrassment to the Imperial German Chancellor, while giving no end of pleasure to the "hot-heads" of Berlin.
Father and Son Discord: Wilhelm II and the Crown Prince (Current Literature, 1912)"Relations between Emperor William (Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1859-1941)and his son and heir, the German Crown Prince (Wilhelm III, 1882-1951), have now become so strained as to be a source of embarrassment to the whole court of Berlin. Vienna, a sort of clearing house for gossip of this sort, is filled with sensational stories..."
Click here to read what the Kaiser thought of Adolf Hitler. Weighing-In on Bruce Ismay (Current Literature Magazine, 1912)A couple of admirals weigh in as to the innocence or guilt of Bruce Ismay (1862 – 1937), Managing Director of the White Star Line. While the PITTSBURGH DISPATCH seemed to think that a debate was simply not necessary:
"...But it cannot be ignored that the man who in the management of the line had sent the great steamer to sea with lifeboats for about one-third of the ship's company, bore a responsibility that might well have been atoned by joining the gallant men who went down with the ship." Edwardian Chivalry Upheld as Titanic Went Under (Current Literature, 1912)The Titanic disaster was a sad affair on a number of levels; however April 15, 1912 was a great night for the Anglo-Saxon hegemony and the values they held dear. As this piece makes clear, chivalry and other examples of good form were all in place as the great ship went down. It was remembered with pride how even the most pampered of millionaire industrialists stepped aside so that others might have a place on the lifeboats (all except J. Bruce Ismay). When the U.S. Navy Got A Little Larger... (Current Literature, 1912)This article heralds the construction of two American battleships that would later become famous for the rolls they played during the Second World War. Both ships, U.S.S. Oklahoma and U.S.S. Nevada, would be commissioned in 1916 and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet during the Great War; Oklahoma protected convoys and later, in 1919, escorted President Wilson to France to the Versailles Treaty.
Digesting the True Horror of the Titanic Disaster (Current Literature, 1912)In the final hours of the Titanic's life there were examples of heroic self-sacrifice; there were also examples of selfishness and cowardice. "Women and men, stokers and millionaires, crew and passengers, faced the grim enemy with unshaken fortitude and self-control. There were exceptions of course. In a company of 2,300 men and women of all sorts there must be some who show the yellow streak at such a time."
"Of the 1,400 passengers, 495 were saved, of whom 202 were first cabin, 115 second cabin and 178 steerage passengers. That is, 35 percent of the passengers and 22 percent of the crew survived." The Bravery of the Women (Current Literature Magazine, 1912)It was not simply the menfolk who maintained the "stiff upper lip" as Titanic began to take water; many of the women also believed it was there place to suffer in order that others may live.
"Many other women had to be almost forced into the boats or wheeled into them." | 
