This is the real love story on the legendary Titanic

The old couple lay in bed, hugging each other, watching the icy seawater pour into the cabin, rising slowly around them. He squeezed his wife’s hand and kissed her cheek. They awaited their fate.

That is the image of the old couple in the famous movie Titanic directed by James Cameron. However, that is just an artistic image in the movie. In reality, Mr. Isidor Straus, 67 years old, and his wife, Mrs. Ida Straus, 63 years old at that time, passed away together in a different way.

They refused to board the lifeboat to make room for women and children. He then grabbed her on the side of the boat and was swept away into the deep sea. As Cameron once described, they died in love as they had lived it.

The story below is what really happened on that fateful night - April 14, 1912.

The elderly couple in the film were inspired by the real-life Mr. and Mrs. Straus.

The Truth on the Fateful Train at Midnight

Just before midnight on April 14, 1912, the “unsinkable” Titanic struck an iceberg. Water began to pour in through holes in the hull. As the ship began to sink, Isidor and Ida followed instructions—put on their life jackets and ran to the deck, where officers were lowering lifeboats. Women, children, and first-class passengers were given priority to board. And, of course, the elderly couple—some of the ship’s wealthiest passengers—were also given priority.

According to two witnesses who were alive at the time, Ida, wearing a long mink coat to cope with the freezing temperatures, boarded the lifeboat. But when the officer signaled for Isidor to board, he shook his head.

“Isidor said, ‘No, I will not get in the lifeboat until I see that every woman and child has a chance to escape,’ ” the couple’s great-grandson, professor and Straus family historian Paul Kurzman, told CountryLiving.

"The officer said, 'Mr. Straus, we know who you are, so of course you will have a place on the lifeboat.'"

But Mr. Isidor chose to stay on deck.

Immediately, Mrs. Ida climbed out of the lifeboat and turned to her beloved husband and said: "We have lived a wonderful life together for 40 years and have 6 beautiful children together. If you don't get on the boat, I will stay with you."

She carefully took off her mink coat and handed it to Ellen Bird, the maid. "I don't need it anymore," she said. "Take this with you to the lifeboat to keep you warm until you're rescued."

Then Mr. Isidor put his arms around her. “A huge wave came over the port side of the ship and swept them both into the sea. That was the last time anyone saw them alive,” Mr. Kurzman said.

Mr. and Mrs. Strauss in Paris in 1907.

That sweet moment was just one of many bittersweet final stories about the Titanic, but unlike the others, it was well-reported at the time. The Straus's love and sacrifice were epitomized by director Cameron in the movie Titanic.

In a deleted scene, Isidor is seen trying to convince Ida to get on the lifeboat without him. Ida replies: "Where you go, I go, don't argue with me, Isidor. You know that's not good."

Cameron then cut to a shot of the elderly couple lying in bed, hugging and holding hands. This second scene made it into the film, Kurzman said, although neither scene was entirely accurate.

“James told me he knew it wasn't true, but he was the director. I said, 'as long as you know it's not true'. The truth is they died standing there hugging each other on the deck."

In an interview with USA Today, director Cameron shared: “I am a screenwriter. I don't think of becoming a historian."

The Immortal Love of Isidor and Ida Straus

Isidor was born in Otterberg, Rhenish Bavaria, Germany in 1845. He immigrated to Georgia, America with his family in the mid-1850s and eventually ended up in New York City, where he was introduced to Ida.

Mr. and Mrs. Straus with their children and grandchildren in 1905.

In 1871, at the age of 26, Isidor proposed to Ida, 22. According to Mr. Kurzman, they were "in love" and very public about their feelings.

“They were often seen holding hands, kissing and hugging, actions that were unheard of in public for people of status and wealth at that time . “They were even seen cuddling. And that continued even into their later years. They had something really special and it is something that our descendants cherish.”

Mr. Isidor was the owner of the retail brand Macy's and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1894. According to Mr. Kurzman, his great-grandfather was a confidant of many presidents, even a close friend of President Grover Cleveland.

In 1912, after attending some social events in Europe, they booked passage home on the RMS Olympic, but the trip was delayed. They decided to board the Titanic.

The couple were housed in a "fully furnished apartment on C deck, consisting of cabins 55 and 57," writes June Hall McCash in her book Titanic: Ida and Isidor Straus. Housemaid Ellen Bird stayed in a smaller cabin across the hall.

It is reported that on April 14, Isidor and Ida enjoyed a 10-course meal in the first-class dining room before walking hand-in-hand on the deck. They then returned to their rooms.

Just before midnight, the Titanic struck a deadly iceberg, causing the ship to sink. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died - including Ida and Isidor.

Statue of Mrs. Ida in Straus Park, near 106th Street (New York, USA).

Ida’s body was never found, but Isidor’s was recovered from the sea and brought to New York for a memorial service. Among his belongings were a piece of jewelry engraved with the letters IS (for Ida and Isidor), and a photo of Jesse and Sara, their two eldest children.

On May 12, more than 6,000 people attended a memorial service for Ida and Isidor at Carnegie Hall. New York City Mayor William Jay Gaynor delivered the eulogy along with billionaire Andrew Carnegie.

A memorial park named after the Straus couple was built near their home on 106th Street. The memorial plaque reads: Waters cannot quench love. Floods cannot drown it.

“This is a love story,” said Mr. Kurzman, the couple’s great-grandson. “And I hope that at a time when the world needs a little more love, a little more inspiration, the enduring story of Ida and Isidor Straus will give people hope.”

(Source: Vietnamnet)

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