1. Masabumi Hosono survived the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912 but found himself condemned and ostracized by the Japanese public, press, and government because of a misconception that he decided to save himself rather than go down with the ship.
Masabumi Hosono was born on 15 October 1870, in the village of Hokura, now part of the city of Joetsu, in Niigata Prefecture.
In 1910, Masabumi Hosono, working for the Ministry of Transport, was sent to Russia to research the Russian state railway system.
Masabumi Hosono saw four lifeboats being launched and contemplated the prospect of an imminent death.
Masabumi Hosono was "deep in desolate thought that I would no more be able to see my beloved wife and children, since there was no alternative for me than to share the same destiny as the Titanic".
Masabumi Hosono still had in his coat pockets a sheaf of stationery with Titanics letterhead on which he had started writing a letter to his wife in English.
Masabumi Hosono went to the offices of Mitsui in New York to ask friends for help to get him home.
Masabumi Hosono was described as a "stowaway" aboard lifeboat 10 by Archibald Gracie, who wrote a best-selling account of the disaster, while the crew member in charge of the boat, Able Seaman Edward Buley, told a US Senate inquiry that Hosono and the other man had disguised themselves as women in order to sneak aboard.
Masabumi Hosono lost his job and was condemned as a coward by the Japanese press.
Western academics who read the 1997 article put forth various explanations why Masabumi Hosono encountered such a hostile reaction.
Masabumi Hosono died painlessly in his sleep on 14 March 1939 at the age of 68 still thinking he was a disgrace to his family and Japan.
Long after his death, Masabumi Hosono's story remained a source of shame for his family for decades.
Masabumi Hosono never spoke of it himself, though his letter to his wife was published at least twice, soon after his death and later, in 1980, when an unsuccessful bid was mounted to find the wreck of Titanic.