Barbarians At The Gate

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, hosts Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser interview Steven Schwankert about his groundbreaking research into the forgotten story of the Chinese survivors of the Titanic disaster. Schwankert, author of The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors, details how he uncovered the remarkable tale of six Chinese men who survived the sinking in 1912—a story largely erased from historical records. The conversation explores how these third-class passengers achieved an extraordinary survival rate despite their disadvantaged position on the ship. Schwankert explains how their maritime experience as professional sailors working for the Donald Steamship line may have helped them make crucial life-saving decisions during the disaster. We talk to Steve about the thorough detective work he and his team carried out researching the lives of the six surviving Chinese passengers, including their challenges in identifying Romanized Chinese names that had been misread for deca