Roman Empire Fan loyalty was fierce and at times erupted into sports riots. Racing was perilous, but charioteers were among the most celebrated and well-compensated athletes. One star of the sport was Diocles, from Lusitania (present-day Portugal), who raced chariots for 24 years and had career earnings of 35 million sesterces. Horses had their fans too, and were commemorated in art and inscriptions, sometimes by name. The design of Roman circuses was developed to assure that no team had an unfair advantage and to minimize collisions ("naufragia," "shipwrecks"), which were nonetheless frequent and spectacularly satisfying to the crowd. The races retained a
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania about from the time of the torpedoing to her final resting place, leaving a trail of debris and people behind. After her bow sank completely, "Lusitania"s stern rose out of the water, enough for her propellers to be seen, and went under. "Lusitania" sank in only 18 minutes, off the Old Head of Kinsale. It took several hours for help to arrive from the Irish coast, but by the time help had arrived, many in the water had succumbed to the cold. By the days' end, 764 passengers and crew from "Lusitania" had been rescued and landed at Queenstown. Eventually,