How the Titanic was taken down by a mirage

FILE - The White Star Line passenger liner R.M.S. Titanic embarking on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Her story puts many Greek tragedies to shame.The Titanic was a beauty destined for greatness, but the fates were against her.

On a cold April night in 1912, she fell from grace, sinking to her watery grave in the icy northern Atlantic.But as is the case with any story, there’s more to this tale.Although an iceberg famously led to the Titanic’s downfall, a background character — the weather — set the stage for a series of unfortunate events that ultimately culminated into a most historic disaster.FILE - This terrible scene, painted by German artist Willy Stoewer, depicts the sinking of the Titanic, the proud British luxury liner which struck an iceberg off New Foundland, April 14, 1912, carrying 1,517 persons, many of them Americans, to their (Getty Images)"The reason why we're all fascinated by the Titanic today, to a certain extent, is because her story is a kind of modern tragedy," said Tim Maltin, Titanic author and historian.According to Maltin, the tragedy that befell the Titanic may have been caused by unusual atmospheric conditions."The weather, the night the Titanic sank, was absolutely extraordinary," he said. "It was one of the calmest nights and clearest nights in history."That fateful night was on April 14, 1912.

The Titanic was en route from Southampton, England to New York City, passing through the waters about 460 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.A red marker notes the approximate location of the Titanic when it sank off the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada.