People crowd Tirane’s main square at night.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Tirane 69
Titanic
On its first trip across the Atlantic
Ocean, a passenger ship called the
Titanic struck a huge iceberg. The ship
sank on April 15, 1912, killing more
than 1,500 people. It was one of the
most famous disasters of the 20th century.
Before there were airplanes, people
crossed oceans on ships called ocean
liners. The Titanic was one of the largest
ocean liners of its time. It was more than
880 feet (270 meters) long and had nine
decks, or floors. The hull, or body, was
made of steel and divided into 16 compartments.
Some people said that the
Titanic was unsinkable.
On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set out
from Southampton, England. It was
bound for New York City. Some of the
passengers were rich people on business
or pleasure trips. Others were poor
European emigrants who were looking
for a better life in North America.
Lookouts saw an iceberg at 11:40 PM on
April 14. The ship could not move out
of the way fast enough. The hull was
torn apart and the ship began to fill with
water. At 2:20 AM the next day, the
Titanic sank.
About 705 people escaped in lifeboats.
However, there were not nearly enough
lifeboats for the 2,224 people that the
ship carried. Governments strengthened
safety rules for ships after the disaster.
In 1985 deep-sea explorers found the
remains of the Titanic at a depth of
13,000 feet (4,000 meters) near the
Canadian island of Newfoundland.
Underwater vessels explored the ship
and brought pieces of wreckage to the
surface.
#More to explore
Iceberg • Ship
Titans
In ancient Greek mythology the Titans
were giants who once ruled the world.
According to legend, they were the children
of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea
(Earth). Uranus hated his children, and
he shut them up in the Earth. The
Titans rebelled against him and took
power. Cronus (Saturn) then became the
ruler of the Titans.
Later Cronus’ son Zeus led a long war
that forced the Titans from power. Zeus
then became the chief god.
Other important Titans included Rhea,
who was the wife of Cronus and the
mother of Zeus. The Titan called Hyperion
was the father of the sun, Moon,
The passenger ship called the Titanic sank
in 1912, on its first voyage.
70 Titanic BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
and dawn. Atlas was a Titan who had to
carry the heavens on his shoulders. And
the Titan Prometheus helped humankind
by giving people fire.
#More to explore
Atlas • Greece, Ancient • Mythology
• Prometheus • Zeus
Tlingit
The Tlingit are Native Americans of
southern Alaska and northern British
Columbia, in Canada. They live along
the coast and on nearby islands in the
Pacific Ocean.
The Tlingit traditionally got much of
their food by fishing. They also hunted
seals and sea otters and gathered wild
berries and roots. The Tlingit used cedar
wood from nearby forests to build
houses. Their houses were large enough
for several families.
In 1741 Russian explorers arrived in
Tlingit lands. By the end of the 1700s
Russian traders had set up a fort in Tlingit
territory. Many Tlingit fell ill with
deadly diseases carried by the Russians
and other European settlers. In the
1830s smallpox killed about half of the
Tlingit.
In 1867 Russia sold Alaska to the
United States. Then U.S. settlers began
taking over the tribe’s land. More settlers
arrived after gold was discovered in
the area in 1880.
In 1912 the Tlingit helped to form a
group called the Alaska Native Brotherhood.
This group worked to take back
the lands of southern Alaska’s Indians.
The Titans were a group of giants in the
myths of ancient Greece. Among the more
important Titans were Atlas, Hyperion,
Prometheus, Cronus, and Rhea.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Tlingit 71
In 1971 the U.S. government returned
44 million acres (18 million hectares) of
land to the Tlingit and other tribes.
At the end of the 20th century more than
9,000 Tlingit lived in the United States.
Another 1,000 Tlingit lived in Canada.
#More to explore
Native Americans
Toad
Toads are small animals often confused
with frogs. Toads, however, have dry,
rough skin and short legs. Frogs have
moist, smooth skin and longer legs.
Toads can be found in all but the coldest
parts of the world. They are amphibians,
meaning that they live on both land and
water. However, toads generally spend
more of their time on land than they do
in the water.
Toads have squat, plump bodies. They
do not have tails. They range from about
1 to 10 inches (2.5 to 25 centimeters)
long. Their skin is usually brownish
olive, often with some darker spots. One
group, called variegated toads, has large
back feet and are bright yellow, red, or
green with black spots.
Toads are typically covered with bumps
that look like warts. When a toad feels
threatened it releases poison from the
bumps. The poison can sting an enemy’s
eyes and mouth. The poison of some
toads is strong enough to kill their
enemies.
Toads are active mainly at night. They
spend the day underground or hidden
under leaves or stones. In the winter
most toads enter a state of inactivity
called hibernation. Some toads are inactive
during hot and dry weather as well.
