100 Years Ago Today

One hundred years ago tonight, 1,500 of HRH Titanic’s 2,200 maiden-voyagepassengers died in the frigid North Atlantic off Newfoundland after the ocean liner hit an iceberg and sunk. 

A few decades ago, the wreckage was discovered two-and-a-half miles below the ocean surface. And ultrasound investigation in 1996 of the bowdamage caused by the iceberg revealed only six small tears or openings affecting the firstsix compartments. So there was never a great gash. The actual openings into theship seem to have been the result of rivets popping and hull plates separating. 

The History Channel has some great resources about the disaster here.  Smithsonian magazine has an excerpt from Andrew Wilson's new book on the Titanic saga. And starting tomorrow the Smithsonian channel is running the "real story" about what happened.