Next month marks the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic by American oceanographer Robert Ballard.
It was one of the biggest news events of the 20th century and the image of the famous liner's bow looming out of the darkness soon became iconic.
Ballard's success was the culmination of 73 years of imaginative, outlandish and often crazy schemes to find the Titanic and raise the ship from her watery grave.
Here, we chart a history as remarkable as the liner which has captivated the world since its tragic sinking...
April 15, 1912, 2.20am
