16: The Titanic's richest couple - history of John Jacob and Madeleine Astor

Phillip Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line, famously said: “There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable.” But as we know, the ‘unsinkable ship’ did in fact sink. And on board that fateful voyage, was one particular ‘famous’ couple of the time: Billionaire JJ Astor and his wife Madeleine, who was 5 months pregnant. From swirling rumors in Gilded Age society of the couple’s ‘fateful lust’ and mass disapproval of the union, to the ultimate fate of the couple when the ship went down in 1914. All of this and more in today’s episode!Follow us on IG:instagram.com/foundobjectspodcastSOURCES:www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/john-jacob-astor.html.www.bbc.com/future/article/20120402-the-myth-of-the-unsinkable-ship.www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/madeleine-talmage-astor.html.www.mentalfloss.com/posts/madeleine-astor-titanic-widow.www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy