Titanic: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- shipDamage buoyancy and stability
- Today in History—April 15The Titanic’s Final Moments and Messages
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- Did Anyone Really Think the Titanic was Unsinkable?
- Robert Ballard
- International Ice Patrol
- icebergIceberg detection, tracking, and management
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- Atlantic OceanEarly oceanography
- shipPassenger liners in the 20th century
- How Cold Was the Water When the Titanic Sank?
- How Deep Is the Titanic Wreck?
- How Many People Died When the Titanic Sank?
- Today in History—September 1The Secret Story of the Titanic’s Discovery
- Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours
- Where Is the Wreck of the Titanic?
Additional Reading
Two classic accounts of the disaster, written by the doyen of Titanic scholarship, are Walter Lord, A Night to Remember (1955, reprinted 1988), and The Night Lives On (1986). More recent accounts are Michael Davie, Titanic: The Death and Life of a Legend (1987; also published as The Titanic: The Full Story of a Tragedy, 1986); Donald Lynch and Ken Marschall, Titanic: An Illustrated History (1992); and John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, 2nd ed. (1994), and Titanic: Destination Disaster, rev. ed. (1996). Two books that trace the changing image of the Titanic in 20th-century popular culture are Paul Heyer, Titanic Legacy: Disaster as Media Event and Myth (1995); and Steven Biel, Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster (1996). A first-hand account by the oceanographer who found the ship’s wreckage in 1985 is Robert D. Ballard and Rick Archbold, The Discovery of the Titanic, new and updated ed. (1995). Titanic: Legacy of the World’s Greatest Ocean Liner (1997) is a lavishly illustrated popularization. Theories concerning why the liner sank are discussed in Tim Foecke and Jennifer Hooper McCarty, What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries (2008); and Brad Matsen, Titanic’s Last Secrets (2008).
Researcher's Note
There has never been universal agreement over the number of lives lost in the sinking of the Titanic. Beginning with the first news reports of the disaster, inquirers have found it unwise to trust the original passenger and crew lists, which were rendered inaccurate by such factors as misspellings, omissions, aliases, and failure to count musicians and other contracted employees as either passengers or crew members. Agreement was made more difficult by the international nature of the disaster, essentially involving a British-registered liner under American ownership that carried more than 2,000 people of many nationalities. Immediately after the sinking, official inquiries were conducted by a special committee of the U.S. Senate (which claimed an interest in the matter on the grounds of the American lives lost) and the British Board of Trade (under whose regulations the Titanic operated). The figures established by these hearings are as follows:
U.S. Senate committee: 1,517 lives lost
British Board of Trade: 1,503 lives lost
Confusion over these figures was immediately aggravated by the official reports of these inquiries to the U.S. Senate and the British Parliament; these reports revised the numbers to 1,500 and 1,490, respectively. The figures have been revised, officially and unofficially, so many more times since 1912 that most researchers and historians concede that they will never know how many of the people sailing on the Titanic died.
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
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Amy Tikkanen
Amy Tikkanen is Managing Editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Added cross-references. | Sep 09, 2026 | ||
| Modified title of Web site: Al Jazeera - The Britannic and the Titanic: A story of two ships. | Jul 02, 2026 | ||
| Revised the Top Questions section. | Apr 22, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: ABC listen - Did Titanic Sink? - 01 | Titanic The sinkable ship. | Feb 06, 2026 | ||
| Added a Table of Contents. | Dec 18, 2025 | ||
| Changed section title from “Final hours” to “Sinking.” | Oct 30, 2025 | ||
| Revised the Top Questions section. | Sep 18, 2025 | ||
| Revised the Top Questions section. | Sep 16, 2025 | ||
| Added a Top Questions section. | Jun 05, 2025 | ||
| Questions and answers added. | Feb 11, 2025 | ||
| Changed placement of images. | Oct 15, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Live Science - Costa Concordia vs. Titanic: Do They Compare? | Sep 13, 2024 | ||
| Added information about the 2024 expedition to the wreckage. | Sep 03, 2024 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Aug 20, 2024 | ||
| Media added. | Jul 22, 2024 | ||
| Added discussions on artifacts and tourism. | Jun 14, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Al Jazeera - The Britannic and the Titanic: A story of two ships. | May 31, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - History of RMS Titanic. | Apr 19, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Library Ireland - Thomas Andrews Shipbuilder. | Nov 21, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: World History Encyclopedia - RMS Titanic. | Nov 16, 2023 | ||
| Adjusted location of interactive media. | Sep 08, 2023 | ||
| Added a video. | Jun 14, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - R.M.S Titanic - History and Significance. | Apr 24, 2023 | ||
| Added an interactive diagram of the ship's interior. | Mar 03, 2023 | ||
| Adjusted media location. | Feb 17, 2023 | ||
| Media placement updated. | Feb 17, 2023 | ||
| Media updated. | Feb 17, 2023 | ||
| Added an interactive map. | Feb 08, 2023 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 08, 2023 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 01, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Historic UK - The Sinking of RMS Titanic. | Mar 11, 2022 | ||
| Media added. | Apr 09, 2021 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Mar 18, 2021 | ||
| Added information about the deterioration of the wreckage and noted the debate over the removal of artifacts. | Oct 15, 2020 | ||
| Add new Web site: The National Archives - Titanic. | Aug 10, 2018 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Jul 30, 2018 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | May 23, 2018 | ||
| Media added. | Sep 22, 2017 | ||
| Media added. | Apr 26, 2017 | ||
| In the discussion of "hard-a-starboard," noted that the maneuver, which caused the ship to turn to port, was based on the order system that was then in place. | Dec 19, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Geographic Kids - Remembering the Titanic. | Dec 05, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Geographic - Would you have Survived the Titanic? | Dec 05, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: CoolKidFacts.com - Titanic Facts for Kids. | Dec 02, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: LiveScience - The Titanic: Facts About the 'Unsinkable' Ship. | Dec 02, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids! - Titanic Facts. | Dec 02, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: Easy Science For Kids - Titanic Facts. | Dec 02, 2016 | ||
| Added illustration. | Aug 28, 2015 | ||
| Add new Web site: Royal Museum Greenwich - Titanic. | Jul 09, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Titanic. | Dec 21, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation - Titanic. | Dec 21, 2012 | ||
| Added a cross-reference to "Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship." | Apr 11, 2012 | ||
| Added interactive diagram of the ship. | Feb 16, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Encyclopedia Titanica - RMS Titanic. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Added interactive map of the ship's maiden voyage. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Titanic Inquiry Project. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Titanic Inquiry Project. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Museums of Northern Ireland - Titanica. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Museums of Northern Ireland - Titanica. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Encyclopedia Titanica - RMS Titanic. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: RMS, Titanic, Inc. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: RMS, Titanic, Inc. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Titanic-Titanic.com Sitemap. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Titanic-Titanic.com Sitemap. | Jan 24, 2012 | ||
| Article thoroughly revised. | Jan 18, 2012 | ||
| Added photographs. | Nov 29, 2011 | ||
| Added books that discussed various theories about why the ship sank. | Sep 24, 2010 | ||
| Added information concerning various theories about why the ship sank. | Sep 24, 2010 | ||
| Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - 10 Items That Went Down With The Titanic. | Nov 04, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - How the Titanic Worked. | Oct 31, 2008 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Apr 04, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Titanic in Nova Scotia. | Nov 19, 2007 | ||
| Added new Web site: The Official Site of the Titanic Historical Society, Inc. | Jul 04, 2006 | ||
| Media added. | Jun 15, 2006 | ||
| Article revised. | Jun 16, 2005 | ||
| Article revised. | Oct 28, 1999 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | May 28, 1999 |