How Long Ago Was Titanic Sinking?

At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic — on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City — struck an iceberg approximately 375 miles south of Newfoundland. Two hours and forty minutes later, at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the ship broke apart and sank to the North Atlantic seabed, taking more than 1,500 of its 2,224 passengers and crew with it.

The Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time of its launch and was widely reported to be practically unsinkable. It carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people — more than regulations required but far fewer than needed. The disaster exposed the inadequacy of maritime safety laws and resulted in new international standards requiring sufficient lifeboats for all aboard and 24-hour radio monitoring.

The wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985 by a joint French-American expedition led by Robert Ballard, lying at a depth of about 3,800 meters. The Titanic's story has never faded from public consciousness — it was the subject of James Cameron's 1997 film, the highest-grossing movie of its time, and continues to draw researchers and tourists who pay to descend in submersibles to the wreck. The sinking became a defining parable about human hubris, class inequality, and the limits of technological confidence.