A record number of people visited the Peoria Riverfront Museum for an exhibit about the Titanic.
The Journal Star reports nearly 44,000 people went through the museum's galleries for the exhibit, which ran from November 12 through March 12. That's four times the gallery attendance during the same period last year.
The total number of people to visit the museum — including its planetarium and giant-screen theater — increased 77 percent, to more than 78,500 visitors.
Debbie Ritschel is the museum's interim president and CEO. She says visitors came from 39 states.
The exhibit included artifacts from the Titanic, as well as human stories of its passengers. The ship was on its maiden voyage in 1912 when it sunk, claiming some 1,500 lives.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
