Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the .
The world's largest, most luxurious, and supposedly unsinkable ocean liner was traveling from the British city of Southampton to New York on its maiden voyage a century ago when it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The ship sank in less than three hours. More than 1,500 people died.
Fascination with the ill-fated ship seems endless. There are exhibits, talks, plays, documentaries, and new books coinciding with the anniversary, as well as a 3-D release of the Academy Award-winning film , starring Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet.
A memorial cruise left England a week ago to retrace the route. Many of the passengers aboard the are relatives of those who lost their lives in the disaster. A memorial service was held Sunday aboard the at the spot where the went down.
Richard Davenport-Hines - author of a book titled about the people aboard the ill-fated ship - says the disaster still fascinates people because it evokes contemporary concerns about the dangers of seemingly failure-proof technology. Scientists say the rivets that held together the grandest ship of its time were too weak to withstand the iceberg's impact, so the hull ripped apart like a seam along a tin can.