One hundred years ago, a ship thought to be indestructible suffered the ill fate to strike an iceberg during its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic. The unthinkable occurred, and the Titanic went to the bottom. What happened on that cold and inky night has haunted and entranced us ever since. Goodness knows, there have been other disasters - far too many disasters. But as the initial reception to Titanic, the most popular movie ever, just now being re-released in 3-D, proves: There has never been a disaster that so captivates the human imagination as that of the sinking of the Titanic. Now, on the 100th anniversary of the night to remember, LIFE revisits this awesome human drama. Heroism is involved, and hubris. Romance and recrimination. A thousand stories spiralling outward - and all of them told in this commemorative LIFE book, in words and pictures.