The unthinkable sinkable Titanic marked the end of a gilded era

The Titanic, which author Gareth Russell rightly speculates may be “the most famous vessel in history,” struck an iceberg on Sunday, April 14, 1912, at about 11:40 p.m. and sank about two hours and 40 minutes later into the black, freezing waters of the North Atlantic. In Russell’s book, “The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era,” he cites that 1,496 people went to their deaths; 712 survivors were taken