約翰·雅各布·阿斯特四世與第二任妻子瑪德琳·阿斯特在歐洲和埃及度過了漫長的蜜月,瑪德琳在旅行中懷孕,她想要孩子在美國出生。1912年4月10日,夫妻在法國瑟堡登上了鐵達尼號[3]。他們是船上最富有的乘客,同行的還有男僕維克托·羅賓斯(Victor Robbins)、女僕羅莎莉·比杜瓦(Rosalie Bidois)、護士卡罗琳·路易丝·恩德雷斯(Caroline Louise Endres),以及一隻寵物犬姬蒂(Kitty),牠在埃及曾一度失踪,後來與主人死於船難[7][8]。4月14日晚間,在鐵達尼號撞上冰山後不久,阿斯特告訴他的妻子船隻發生碰撞,但損害似乎並不嚴重。過了一段時間,救生艇正在搭載頭等艙乘客時,阿斯特帶著他的家人仍在健身房使用運動器械。他用鋼筆刀割開救生衣,向妻子展示其內襯,要她保持安心。他甚至宣稱:「我們在這裡比在那條小船上更安全」[9][3]。
^ 3.03.13.23.33.43.53.63.7John Jacob Astor IV. Encyclopedia Titanica. [2010-10-27]. (原始内容存档于2008-09-15). Colonel John Jacob Astor IV was born in Rhinebeck, New York on July 13th, 1864 the son of William Astor and great-grandson of John Jacob Astor the fur trader. Astor was educated at St. Paul's School, Concord and later went to Harvard. After a period of travelling abroad (1888–91) he returned to the United States to manage the family fortune. He had homes at 840 Fifth Avenue, New York and at Ferncliff, Rhinebeck, New York.....
^An Age of Splendor, and Hotel One-Upmanship. The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. 2006-06-18 [2018-07-02]. (原始内容存档于2018-06-14). His younger cousin, known as Jack, enrolled in Harvard, left without a degree, traveled and joined 'about two dozen clubs.' He tinkered with inventions, married unwisely and, inspired by Jules Verne, wrote a work of science fiction. Often ridiculed in the press, he bore the sobriquet 'Jack Ass.'参数|newspaper=与模板{{cite web}}不匹配(建议改用{{cite news}}或|website=) (帮助)