John Jacob Astor was the richest man on board Titanic. He was the first multimillionaire in the U.S. Today, his 20 million dollar fortune would be worth well over 110 billion dollars. This makes him the 4th richest man in U.S. History. He was traveling on Titanic with his second wife, Madeleine Force. They were on a extended honeymoon when they learned of Madeleine pregnancy. The couple wanted for their child to be born into the United States. It was at this point they got their tickets for Titanic. Madeleine survived the sinking while her husband, Astor, did not. His body was recovered from the sea a few days later. Examiners that looked at his remains believe he was killed by one of the Titanic's falling funnels. On his body, they found his gold pocket watch. Astor's son, Vincent, wore this watch for the rest of his life.
There are several rumors surrounding John Jacob Astor's time on Titanic. One says that he released the dogs from the kennels. While there is no proof of this, Aster's beloved pet dog, a Airedale, was among the dogs in the kennels. There are other rumors like him making the statement, "I asked for ice, but this is ridiculous." This claim is unlikely true since Astor wasn't known to make jokes. There is another claim from a woman who claims Aster picked her up and placed her into a lifeboat. There are several who seem to back this statement up.
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John Jacob Astor portrayed in the 1997 film, Titanic. |
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