The sinking of the Titanic is a famous event, and new books are still
being published about it. Many well-known facts---from the
proportions of first-class passengers to the ‘women and
children first’ policy, and the fact that that policy was not
entirely successful in saving the women and children in the third
class---are reflected in the survival rates for various classes of
passenger.
These data were originally collected by the British Board of Trade in
their investigation of the sinking. Note that there is not complete
agreement among primary sources as to the exact numbers on board,
rescued, or lost.
Due in particular to the very successful film ‘Titanic’, the last
years saw a rise in public interest in the Titanic. Very detailed
data about the passengers is now available on the Internet, at sites
such as Encyclopedia Titanica
(http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/phind).