The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are referred to as "The Gilded Age" or the "Edwardian Era". This time was characterized most notably by tremendous strides in technology as well as an enormous gap between the upper and lower echelons of society. The rich were extremely rich; living like royalty in unrivaled opulence, congregating in glamorous social outings where they flaunted their wealth and prestige. The poor, on the other hand, were extremely poor; living in wretched conditions and unimaginable poverty, often working in factories owned by the upper class for little pay and no benefits to speak of other than not being unemployed. Sandwiched between these two extremes was the "second class", made up of professionals; teachers, doctors and such. Living neither like prince nor pauper, these people made a good living and stood a better chance than most of attaining wealth and power.

     Social and economic structuring aside, this period was also marked by an explosion of ocean travel between Europe and the young United States. Both rich and poor were to be found on any vessel crossing the Atlantic. For the wealthy, it was often a vacation or holiday; sometimes business. For the poor, it meant a new life in the new world. Conditions aboard these ships were dreadful. Even the first class passenger was tossed about in a small cabin where even dressing was a task that often resulted in injury. Steerage passengers were massed together in the bowels of the ship in poorly ventilated holds where sanitation and comfort were unheard of. They were often not allowed on deck. The invention of the steam engine revolutionized the shipping industry. Soon ships were being constructed with iron hulls rather than wood, making for larger ships that were much more stable on rough seas. With the larger ships came improved passengers accommodations, even for steerage passengers. Immigration to America increased exponentially as millions of poor Europeans sought a better life in what was coming to be known as the "Land of Opportunity".

     Ferrying passengers to the "Land of Opportunity", the British Cunard Line had been virtually unchallenged as the ruler of the Atlantic passenger trade well into the mid 1800’s. In 1867, Thomas Henry Ismay bought the White Star Line; a company founded in 1850. White Star mainly engaged in trade centered on Australian gold fields. In 1869 Ismay formed the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company in an attempt to establish White Star as a high-class steamship service in the Atlantic passenger trade. Within four years, his sixth liner to be built; Baltic, set the Eastbound Atlantic speed record and White Star took it’s place as the leader in Transatlantic travel. Despite the wreck of Atlantic in 1873, the new company continued to rival and often surpass Cunard. The companies competed fiercely, one and then the other gaining an edge over the other by introducing the latest technological advance. In 1889, White Star launched Teutonic and Majestic, ushering in a new era of ocean liner. While all other ships of the day used steam engines in conjunction with sails, he two newest ships had no sails. This left the decks spacious and uncluttered. Soon size and luxury became paramount. Speed alone would not suffice. How you got there was becoming just as, if not more important than how fast you got there.

     The dramatic increase in passenger travel caught the attention of American financier, J. P. Morgan. He began buying up most of White Star and Cunard’s smaller competitors under a trust called the International Mercantile Marine. Morgan immediately dropped prices for third-class passage to America. With enormous wealth gained in the steel and railroad industries, IMM could well afford to operate without turning a profit for as long as it took to put competitors out of business. His goal, of course, was to gain control of the two major companies; White Star and Cunard. The latter avoided takeover by obtaining assistance from the British government that allowed it to compete with IMM’s prices and still stay in business. White Star, however, was in trouble. Thomas Henry Ismay had died in 1899, leaving control of his company to his son, J. Bruce Ismay. The younger Ismay was far less experienced than his father. With Cunard on one side being assisted by the British government and IMM on the other stealing virtually all immigrant passengers, White Star seemed on the verge of ruin.

      White Star’s well being was of particular concern Lord William Pirrie, who ran the Harland & Wolff Shipyards. The shipyard was built on land that was piled up in Belfast Harbor after it was dredged in the 1840’s to allow bigger ships to pass through. The shipyard was originally built by Robert Hickson and Company, who began building iron ships in 1853. A year later, Edward J. Harland came aboard as a manager and took over the business in 1859. In 1861 he joined forces with G.W. Wolff and Harland & Wolff was born. In 1862, William Pirrie, age 15, started with Harland & Wolff as an apprentice. He rose through the ranks of the company, making partner in 1874 at the age of 27. In 1906, he took control of the company. That same year he was made an English Lord.

     Harland & Wolff had built all of White Star’s ships since 1869. Lord Pirrie worried that if White Star went belly up, his own company would lose an important source of business. He recommended to Bruce Ismay that he sell White Star to J.P. Morgan. The consortium formed by such an allegiance would not only save White Star, but would also be the means by which Cunard and the growing German shipping companies could be snuffed out once and for all. It could also, Pirrie hoped, generate more business for Harland & Wolff. Ismay listened and in 1902 White Star became part of IMM and Morgan left Ismay in charge as Managing Director. Keeping a low profile, Morgan gave Ismay and Pirrie complete autonomy. He told them to spare no expense in building the best ships.

      1907 saw the launch of two new Cunard ships, Lusitania and her sister Mauretania. At 790 feet long, weighing 30,000 tons, the new leviathans were the talk of the shipping industry and soon set new records for the Atlantic crossing with speeds of 26 - 28 knots. In the summer of that year, Ismay and Pirrie got together at Downshire House, the Pirrie London home, and made plans that would forever alter the course of human history, though certainly not in the ways that they hoped. Pirrie and Ismay drew up plans for three White Star super liners that would take ocean travel to new heights in luxury and comfort. The ships would be 50% larger than the Cunard ships. Though not as fast, they would surpass all other ships ever built in sheer size luxury. They would be known as the Olympic Class Liners, after the first to be built. Olympic would set the new standard in ocean travel. Her sisters, Titanic and Gigantic, sure as their names, would certainly surpass that standard. Nearly 900 feet long and 45,000 tons, the trio would be the largest moving objects ever crafted by the hand of man and would put White Star at the forefront of the race to control the North Atlantic shipping lanes. Bruce Ismay would finally step out of his father’s shadow and into his own. And so, the story of Titanic unfolds…