Sinking of RMS Titanic, 1912

RMS Titanic struck an iceberg late on 14 April 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York and sank in the early hours of 15 April. The ship carried lifeboat space for only a portion of those aboard, and more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.

The disaster prompted British and American inquiries into speed, iceberg warnings, wireless procedures, lifeboat provision and the conduct of nearby vessels. It led to major changes in international maritime safety regulation and remains closely associated with Edwardian class divisions and confidence in technology.

For books and historical fiction, the sinking provides a tightly documented setting of technical failure, incomplete information, unequal survival and individual decision-making under extreme pressure. Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember and The Night Lives On are foundational narrative studies of the event.