April 10, 1912: Titanic begins fateful voyage

The Titanic set out on its maiden (and only) voyage on April 10, 1912 from Southampton in the UK. Though the 1997 movie runs three hours, the trip itself was less than five days long. At 2 a.m. on April 15, it sunk into the Atlantic Ocean – 400 miles south of Newfoundland.

Hailed as one of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners ever built, the ship was 883 feet long and could hold 2,400 passengers with another 900 crew members. The interior of the RMS Titanic was modeled after other high-end hotels of the time with ornate decorations and expensive furniture. There was also a swimming pool, a squash court, a gymnasium, libraries and smoking rooms, and a promenade that was the center of social life on board.

As is well-known now, the unsinkable ship ran alongside an iceberg late at night on April 14, causing the hull to buckle and filling the compartments with water. Less than three hours later, the front of the ship was pulled under, broke in half, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The fact that only about 700 people survived caused massive outrage about inadequate safety procedures. Regulations were put in place requiring, among other things, enough lifeboats for all passengers.