The One With Aldacron

History has always held a deep fascination for me. I have an interest in a broad swath of it, but I’m most fascinated by times long past, such as ancient civilizations (particularly Egypt, Greece and Rome) and the Dark and Middle Ages. I do enjoy modern history, just not with the same passion. But one event in recent history that has gripped me since childhood is the sinking of the Titanic.

I don’t know why I’ve been so enthralled by this story, nor do I remember when I first took interest in it. I do know I was quite young. Over the years, I’ve seen every movie and documentary, and read every book, about the Titanic that I could get my hands on. Now, there is a new book coming that I’m dying to read.

Some years ago, Tim Foecke, a metallurgist, posited the theory that weak rivets in the ship’s hull caused it to sink so quickly. This was after it was discovered that there was not a huge gaping hole in the side of the ship as had been believed. Now, Foecke and others on his team are confident that they have enough evidence to say definitively that low grade rivets are indeed to blame. He and fellow metallurgist Jennifer Hooper McCarty have published a book, What Really Sank the Titanic, which details their findings.

I’m looking forward to reading this book. There are several others I want to read that I’ve not been able to find here in Korea. I suppose it’s time to make one of my semi-annual bulk orders, where I get several books sent here from Amazon in one shot to reduce shipping costs. I can keep dreaming that they’ll open a Seoul warehouse.

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