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The Titanic sinks
The ship hits an iceberg on its first voyage
RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing more than 1,500 people. New rules required enough lifeboats for everyone and round-the-clock radio watch.
The ship struck an iceberg shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912 on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York and sank in the early hours of 15 April. About 2,200 people were aboard and more than 1,500 died; the nearest rescue ship, Carpathia, picked up roughly 700 survivors from lifeboats.
The lifeboats could hold only about half of those on board, which met the rules of the time but was far too few. Investigations in Britain and the United States led to the 1914 international safety convention (SOLAS), requiring enough lifeboat space for everyone, regular drills, and ship radios staffed around the clock. The International Ice Patrol was also set up to warn ships of icebergs in the North Atlantic.
The wreck lies about 3,800 metres down and was found in 1985.
Ships of every nation still follow the safety rules that grew from this sinking, and the story remains one of the most studied maritime disasters in the world, with passenger lists and testimony kept in public archives. The disaster also shook the public's belief that large modern ships were practically unsinkable.