Factual error: The lake that Jack told Rose he went ice fishing on when she was threatening to jump is Lake Wissota, a man-made lake in Wisconsin near Chippewa Falls (where Jack grew up). The lake was only filled with water in 1918 when a power company built a dam on the Chippewa River, six years after the Titanic sank. (00:39:05)
Factual error: In one scene they attempt to divert the ship by manually activating the ship's bowthruster. A thruster is a propeller in a transverse direction. This allows the ship to turn more efficiently when docking. However the thruster loses any efficiency above approximately 5 knots. In the film they use it at 17 knots. Secondly, a thruster is powered by an electric motor of at least 500 kW, yet they manage to turn it by hand. That handle does not exist in real life, and no one would be able to turn it anyway.
Factual error: The movie theater ticker says it's Monday, April 12th, 1997 - but the 12th was on a Saturday. (00:00:20)
Factual error: On 26th May 1989, the Liverpool v Arsenal game kicked off at 8pm, which meant it would be 9:50 at the earliest before the end of the game. Sunset was at 8.59 that day (I checked!) so why is it still light when they're celebrating?
Factual error: Why do the astronauts on Mars and the crew on Earth have the conversations as they do on the phone? A message sent from Earth would take about 20 minutes to arrive at Mars and vice-versa.
Factual error: At the end of the film, The Voice tells his radio audience the Challenger was estimated to have hit the bulldozers at 185 MPH. The top speed of the Challenger, with a 426 Hemi, was 145 MPH. A trained police officer (and there were many of them there), even estimating speed without a radar gun, would be able to estimate the speed much closer than that. It's part of their training to be able to make estimates that will hold up in court, and 185 MPH is noticeably different than 145 MPH.
Factual error: John Cusack arrives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan and drives through the downtown area while we hear Minnie Driver's voice-over. He not only passes some storefronts at least twice, but one of the storefronts has a large yellow and brown awning reading "Monrovia Beauty Supply," which is located in Monrovia, California.
Factual error: The queen's maid tells Brown that the queen is currently reading 'Lord Tennyson.' That would be difficult in 1864, as Tennyson did not accept a peerage until the early 1880s.
Factual error: At the start of the film, they are using an optical telescope for astronomy in daylight. This is not possible. The telescope is also far too small to be giving such a detailed picture.
Factual error: When Vincent and Jerome are at the Gattaca building at night, they watch a rocket launch. The exhaust from a such a rocket would have lit the area around them or at least the nearby mountains bright as day.
Factual error: Simon recovers awfully quick from the effects of hypothermia. In the hidden room, he is shaking like a leaf and can barely speak. Even when the old woman shouts where they are, he still looks a bit out of it. However, once they escape into the underground tunnels, he appears to be in perfect health and shows no signs of discomfort for the rest of the film.
Factual error: At the end of the movie, Wally pushes Kyle into the big vat of fudge after he made fun of the Beaver. When fudge is in liquid form, it is extraordinarily hot, and would have burned the child severely.
Factual error: The sirens on French ambulances have two distinct tones, not a single oscillating one.
Factual error: George's "dog", Shep, is an Asian elephant. However, the jungle scenes take place in Africa.
Factual error: Rupert is driving Julia to the airport but the road signs for I-90 and Mannheim Road are at Ohare airport. She seems to leave from Ohare and arrive at Ohare. (00:10:08)