The Titanic sunk over a century ago, but people are still drawn to its story. The pain surrounding the tragedy must have been unbearable for survivors and family members. So many children were left fatherless. So many women were left widowed. So many parents were left to grieve their children. Scroll through this slide show to see a video of survivor Eva Hart talking about her experience.

Survivors were treated as heroes. They were often asked for autographs and sought out for events. In an age before technology linked all of us, these survivors were the only connection to the ship’s sinking.

Since the actual sinking wasn’t documented in pictures, survivor’s memories were the only thing tangible making them highly sought after for decades.

However, pictures were taken of survivors, their family members, and various activities surrounding their homecoming. We’ve gathered some below for you to see:

Frederick Fleet was just 24 years old in 1912. He was the lookout who first spotted the iceberg. Just under three hours later, the Titanic disappeared under the waves.

He later served in both World War I and World War II. Fleet took his own life in 1965 when he hanged himself.

There weren’t any cameras aboard the lifeboats to document the actual sinking of the Titanic, but John B. Thayer sketched the ship while witnessing it from a lifeboat.

A lifeboat of survivors approaches the ship Carpathia that came to help. Carpathia arrived two hours after the Titanic sunk and was able to rescue 705 survivors from the ship’s lifeboats.

People waited outside the White Star Line, offices of the British shipping company, for news of their loved ones.

A large crowd awaited the return of Carpathia. People showed up to greet their loved ones without knowing if they’d survived or not. I can’t imagine the wait.

A great majority of the crew went down with the ship, but some survived. Here are a few crew members who lived to tell the tale.

A couple weeks later, the British survivors arrived back home. They were greeted with throngs of people in Southampton.

For those who were waiting for surviving family members, it was a celebration.

Survivors were often stopped and asked for autographs. They were seen as celebrities for surviving such an ordeal.

The four Pascoe brothers survived the Titanic and returned to Southampton. In the next slide, you’ll hear how one survivor describes her first time on a ship, her family, and what happened that Sunday night.

Eva Hart was only 7 years old when she boarded the Titanic with her parents. In the video below, she describes her survival and watching the great ship sink on its maiden voyage. She even speaks of her mother’s premonition.

Please share this to remind others of the history of the Titanic.

H/T: Mashable

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