Just before midnight on 14 April 1912, the world"s largest ship collided with an iceberg. For almost three hours, the Titanic stood poised between life and death. The myth-busting new Rough Guide to the Titanic explores every aspect of the most famous shipwreck in history, from the birth of the mighty ship in Belfast to her tragic end far out on the icy Atlantic. Drawing on all the latest research; expertly written with Rough Guides" trademark passion and enthusiasm; illustrated with photos, maps, and diagrams; and tackling every controversy and conspiracy theory, it"s the ultimate guide to what really happened on that freezing moonless night. Lively, accessible sections answer all the great questions: Why has the disaster remained prominent in popular memory for an entire century? Did the band really play Nearer My God To Thee as the ship went down? Who fired the gunshots as the lifeboats were loading? Were the third-class passengers locked below decks, unable to escape? Was Captain Smith to blame for the disaster? If the Titanic was unsinkable, why did she never complete her maiden voyage? Besides a minute-by-minute account of the struggle for survival of the passengers and crew, from John Jacob Astor and Molly Brown on the upper decks to the emigrants and stokers far below, the book also describes the dramatic re-discovery of the wreck in 1985. From the earliest newsreel to James Cameron"s blockbuster, it reviews the best and the worst of the movies, music and books that have kept the memory of the Titanic alive.