Charles Joughin, the Titanic’s chief baker, didn’t set out to become a legend. He was just a man with flour on his hands, a flask in his pocket, and the kind of British calm that turns chaos into comedy. When the unsinkable ship scraped against an iceberg, most people panicked. Charles did what he always did: poured another drink.
He handed out loaves of bread to the lifeboats. He helped women and children find their places. He gave away his own seat. Then he went back for more whiskey — and when the sea finally reached his cabin, he put on a lifejacket, climbed to the deck, and started tossing chairs into the Atlantic like a man at peace with fate.
When the stern lifted high and the Titanic finally disappeared beneath him, Charles stepped off the edge. No struggle. No vortex. Just a man, a flask, and an ocean. Four hours later, he was found floating — cold but alive — one of the last survivors of that tragic night.
The story isn’t really about luck, or booze, or even survival. It’s about reaction. In the face of disaster, Charles didn’t fight the storm — he adjusted to it. Panic sinks ships faster than icebergs ever could. Calm keeps you afloat.
Most of us won’t face an iceberg in the North Atlantic, but we’ll face something — loss, betrayal, uncertainty, grief. The lesson from the baker of the Titanic is simple and timeless: fear not the storm. You can’t control the waves, or the cold, or the chaos. But you can control your reaction.
And sometimes, that’s enough to keep you afloat.
About the Author:
Miles Spencer is a multi-exit founder, investor, and storyteller. His work at the intersection of memory and technology explores how people connect across generations — most recently through his venture, Reflekta, “the feel-good Soul Tech that connects passed with present.”