Was it a huge deal to everyone for a whole century, or did people kind of forget about it until the movie was made, bringing it back into common reference?
if you want mid-20th century, you have two big Hollywood movies about the Titanic - 1953's Titanic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046435 - and 1958's A Night to Remember http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051994 (the better film)
It's just too good a story to pass on - and easy to use as a backdrop for any kind of story - so it's been told, or used in lots of movies (at least a couple in 1912) since then.
not that movies are the best evidence, but I don't think the story has ever been out of the general consciousness for long.