Claiming the disaster was worse than the Titanic seems pretty thin just because more passenger lives were lost?
Total Lives lost:
Titanic: 1,500 Empress of Ireland: 1,012
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I suspect titanic is/was more well known is simply due to the sheer hubris of it all - a much-heralded and much-trumpeted "unsinkable ship" that sank on its maiden voyage. It was supposed to be this amazing new technical marvel and yet it did the very thing it that they were claiming was impossible on it's very first trip. Sticks in the mind somewhat, compared to the frequent "ordinary" ship sinkings that happen all the time (then and yes ships still sink now, although fewer passenger ships I expect but probably just down to their being fewer of them)