Passengers who plunged into the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean that night faced water temperatures around 28 degrees Fahrenheit. It took only minutes for most people to die of hypothermia.
However, the ship's chief baker Charles Joughin miraculously survived nearly three hours in the icy waters — partly thanks to the whiskey he sipped as the ship went down. During a later inquiry, one investigator found that "his getting a drink had a lot to do with saving his life."