Titanic disaster a reminder of our mortality

Even after a century, people are still fascinated by the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the wreck of the giant British ship, which sank less than 400 miles south of Newfoundland four days into its trans-Atlantic voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. The ship was the largest in the world at the time and carried more than 2,200 passengers. Of those, 1,514 died, making it one of the deadliest maritime incidents ever in a time of peace.

The story has been told countless times, most famously in the 1997 motion picture written and directed by James Cameron that grossed more than $1.8 billion in worldwide sales. The ship was traveling through icy North Atlantic waters about 11:40 p.m. April 14, 1912 (ship