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Quick Facts
- NAME: Molly Brown
- OCCUPATION: Activist, Film Actress, Philanthropist
- BIRTH DATE: July 18, 1867
- DEATH DATE: October 26, 1932
- EDUCATION: Carnegie Institute
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Hannibal, Missouri
- PLACE OF DEATH: New York, New York
- Nickname: "The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown"
- Nickname: "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
- Full Name: Margaret Brown
- Maiden Name: Margaret Tobin
- AKA: Molly Brown
Best Known For
Molly Brown was best known for her social welfare work on behalf of women and children, and for surviving the Titanic sinking.
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Molly Brown - Unsinkable (1:49)
Molly Brown - Unsinkable
Watch a short video about the unsinkable Molly Brown and the achievements she made after surviving the Titanic.
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Play NowMolly Brown. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:59, May 24, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583.
Molly Brown. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583 [Accessed 24 May 2013].
"Molly Brown." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 24 2013, 10:59 http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583.
"Molly Brown," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583 [accessed May 24, 2013].
"Molly Brown," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583 (accessed May 24, 2013).
Molly Brown [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583.
Molly Brown, http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583 (last visited May 24, 2013).
Molly Brown. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/molly-brown-20638583. Accessed May 24, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in Missouri in 1867, Molly Brown was an American human-rights activist, philanthropist and actress who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Brown and her husband moved to Denver, Colorado, after achieving great prosperity through the discovery of silver at one of his mines in 1893. There, she helped found the Denver Women's Club. She also raised money for children's causes and continued to help mine workers. While traveling in England, Brown got word that her grandson was ill,
and subsequently booked a trip back to the United States on the RMS Titanic. It was the maiden voyage of the vessel that was supposed to be nearly indestructible. However, on the night of April 14, 1912, the ship failed to live up to its reputation.
Early Life
Philanthropist Margaret Tobin, better known as Molly Brown, was born on July 18, 1867, in Hannibal, Missouri. Sometimes referred to as "the Unsinkable Molly Brown," this survivor of the 1912 Titanic disaster has become the subject of many myths and legends throughout the years. Her early years were relatively quiet; she grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with five siblings.
At the age of 13, Molly Brown went to work in a factory. After two of her siblings headed to Colorado to seek opportunity with the silver mines there, she followed, moving to Leadville in 1886. The town was like a giant mining camp, and Brown found work doing sewing for a local store. Her life soon changed when she met J.J. Brown, a mining superintendent. The couple fell in love and married in September 1886.
Activism
Molly and J.J. Brown struggled financially in the early days of their marriage. They had their first child, Lawrence Palmer Brown, in 1887, and a daughter, Catherine Ellen, followed two years later. As her husband rose up the ranks at the mining company, Brown became active in the community, helping miners and their families and working to improve the town's schools. Molly Brown was never interested in fitting in with the other leading citizens of Leadville, preferring to dress in dramatic hats.
Achieving great prosperity through the discovery of silver at one of J.J.'s mines in 1893, the Brown family moved to Denver, Colorado. Molly Brown helped found the Denver Women's Club. She also raised money for children's causes and continued to help mine workers. With her wealth, Brown also expanded her own horizons, taking numerous trips around the world. It was during one such trip in April 1912, after hearing that her grandson was ill, that Brown decided to take the first ship back to the United States; a ship named the RMS Titanic. It was the maiden voyage of the vessel that was supposed to be nearly indestructible. However, on the night of April 14, 1912, the ship failed to live up to its reputation.
'The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown'
The Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, around 11:40 p.m., and sank in only a few hours. Molly Brown was able to get on one of the ship's few lifeboats and was later rescued by the Carpathia.
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Titanic Passengers
View groupOn April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, carrying 2,207 passengers en route to New York. Unfortunately, the ship never made it to its final destination. After on colliding with an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, the ship sank in only a few hours.
From "the Unsinkable Molly Brown to the discovery of "the Unknown Child," explore some of the extraordinary stories of survival and tragedy—and view photos and videos—of those who boarded the Titanic.
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