Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was a Nobel Prize winner and the inventor of the telegraph. He was offered a free trip on the Titanic due to his achievements, but he decided to hop on the Lusitania instead. His daughter later said in an interview that he chose the Lusitania because he had paperwork to do and he liked the telegraph operator on the Lusitania more.
When Alcohol Saves
This is probably the only time having too much alcohol in your system would save you. Head baker Charles Joughin survived the sinking of the ship by holding onto the ship and "riding" down with it. He was able to keep calm and warm due to the severe amount of whiskey he had before abandoning the ship. He was able to be picked up by a lifeboat.