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 the Second World War as well as the removal of three of the four propellers by Oceaneering International in 1982. Some of the prominent features on "Lusitania" include her still-legible name, some bollards with the ropes still intact, pieces of the ruined promenade deck, some portholes, the prow and the remaining propeller. Recent expeditions to the wreck have revealed that "Lusitania" is in surprisingly poor condition compared to "Titanic", as her hull has already started to collapse. Sinking of the RMS Lusitania The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS "Lusitania" occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First