Here is the exciting true story about the "unsinkable" Titanic! Dramatic accounts, white-knuckle suspense, and fast-paced action of how the world's biggest, safest ship sank on its maiden voyage. Includes black-and-white photos and full-color underwater photos of the wreck.

This gripping volume explores the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Readers will be introduced to the historical background, controversies surrounding the disaster, and personal narratives from survivors.

"3 story paths, 35 choices, 15 endings"--Cover.

The sinking of the ocean liner Titanic in 1912 was one of the most famous events of the twentieth century. The ship was the largest and most luxurious passenger liner of the age. While she was being built, Titanic was described as “practically unsinkable.” Yet she went down on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg. More than 1,500 passengers and crew members perished in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Nearly all died because the ship didn’t carry enough lifeboats. Yet according to the shipping regulations at the time, Titanic actually carried more lifeboats than she was legally required to. Many people also believe that the ship was traveling too fast. Yet her captain wasn’t doing anything different than nearly every other liner at that time. The sinking attracted worldwide media interest. This interest has never lessened. The loss of the Titanic is just as fascinating today as it was on the day it occurred.

The Titanic For Dummies paints the whole picture of the most famous maritime disaster. It examines the building of the ship, life onboard during its maiden voyage, tragic decisions made that fateful night, the discovery of the wreck, and the many controversies that have emerged in the century since the sinking. Information includes: Theories behind the reason for the sinking (does the blame lie with the watertight doors, bad rivets, or crew negligence?), and when and where the ship split in two. A detailed look at how the lack of lifeboats — and the chaos that resulted in lifeboats launching before they reached capacity — resulted in lives lost. A Titanic “Who’s Who” identifying notable passengers, including those who were famous before the tragedy and those who gained fame because of it. Current thinking about reports of shots being fired onboard, the details of Captain Smith’s death, Murdoch’s possible suicide, and the band’s last song. Findings from the Titanic hearings on both sides of the Atlantic. A recounting of Robert Ballard’s discovery of the wreck in 1985 and the ongoing debate over whether to salvage the wreck or let the ship remain as a memorial to those who perished. A glimpse of the most fascinating artifacts salvaged from the wreckage. The Titanic in pop culture: from Broadway to one of the most highest grossing movies in history (being re-released in 3D in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary).

Even the staunchest of landlubbers knows what rockets at sea mean... or do they? A short space of time after the fatal collision with an iceberg, the Titanic's crew sent rockets aloft to attract the attention of a ship seen just a few miles. But that ship never responded ... and 1500 people died in the frigid waters. This book details the scandal of the Californian, blamed by many for being that very unresponsive stranger. Rockets were seen and ignored...but was the Captain guilty of mass murder? Did more than 1000 people needlessly die? Why was the wireless operator not awakened? Could the Californian have saved anyone? And why is this story, neglecting the ethical controversy surrounding salvage, the single most divisive issue in the Titanic research community?

In this centennial edition of the definitive book on the Titanic, new findings, photos, and interviews shed light on the world’s most famous marine disaster for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. On that fatal night in 1912 the world’s largest moving object disappeared beneath the waters of the North Atlantic in less than three hours. Why was the ship sailing through waters well known to be a “mass of floating ice”? Why were there too few lifeboats? Why were a third of the survivors crew members? Based on the sensational evidence of the U.S. Senate hearings, eyewitness accounts, and the results of the 1985 Woods Hole expedition that photographed the ship, this electrifying account vividly recreates the vessel’s last desperate hours afloat and fully addresses the questions that have continued to haunt the tragedy of the Titanic.