The SS Californian deserves more than mere footnote status when it comes to its role in the story of the RMS Titanic . For that was the name of the ship that sent repeated messages to the crew of the doomed cruise liner, all of them warning of ice ahead. But the Titanic ’s wireless operators weren’t interested – to the point where one employee dismissed the Californian ’s communications with a reply that read: ‘Shut up, I’m busy.’

Of course, the Titanic wireless crew weren’t really busy at all. They were simply spending their time sending private telegrams on behalf of the first-class passengers on board. A few hours later, well, we all know what happened. But we haven’t yet gone public enough with the overuse of what was, back in 1912, an absolutely deadly adjective. It’s now u

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