100 years after the Titanic tragedy, the world's most famous ship still fascinates us. This April, discover the legend in the new 3D version of James Cameron's film Titanic.
What was the Titanic?
The Titanic was the largest passenger ship in the world when it was built in 1912 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was like a floating town with passengers from all social classes. Third-class passengers paid £3 to £8 for a one-way ticket to America. First-class passengers paid £30.
Inside the Titanic
The Titanic was a luxury ship. Rich passenger paid £865 for a suite decorated in elegant styles. There was also the famous Grand Staircase (see photo) which is in the film Titanic too.
The Titanic's destination
The Titanic's first voyage was from Southampton, in England, to New York City, USA. The ship left on 10 April 1912... but never arrived at her destination
The tragedy
On 14 April, four days after leaving Southampton, the Titanic was in the North Atlantic. The sea was calm but visibility was low. At 11.40 pm, a lookout saw a large iceberg near the ship. 37 seconds later, the Titanic hit the iceberg and water entered the ship. At first the passengers didn't panic... two hours and 40 minutes later, at 2.20 am the Titanic sank...
Who died?
Of the 2,224 people on board, only 710 survived: there were not enough lifeboats. Most survivors were women, children and the rich: 60% of first-class passengers survived. But only 42% of second- class and less than 25 % of third class passengers survived.
Titanic on film
The wreck of Titanic was found in 1985, about 4 km under the sea. James Cameron made his 1997 film, Titanic, using real images of the wreck. It was the highest-grossing film of all the time until Avatar (2009).
Visit the Titanic
Visitors can learn about the tianic and Belfast at a new visitor centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's a giant building with four wings the shape of Titanc's hull
The last survivor
The last survivor of the Titanic died in 2009 aged 96. Her name was Millvina Dean and she was two months old when she was rescued from the ship.
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