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{{Useful Notes|wppage=Hindenburg disaster}}
[[File:Hindenburg disaster.jpg|thumb|300px]]
{{quote|''[[Oh, the Humanity!|"Oh, the humanity!"]]''
|'''Herbert Morrison''', in a radio broadcast}}
On May 6, 1937, the German airship LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' was about to land at what was at that time [[w:Lakehurst Maxfield Field|Lakehurst Naval Air Station]] in [[w:Lakehurst, New Jersey|Lakehurst]], [[Joisey|New Jersey]], after a trans-Atlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany with 70 passengers aboard. The gigantic airship was a zeppelin—a lighter-than-air craft like a blimp, but with a rigid internal frame—and was filled with hydrogen rather than the usual helium.<ref>Helium was only available in the United States at the time, and that country wasn't selling it to any European power.</ref> It was the largest flying machine ever built at 263m in length, about four times the length of a Boeing 747 (and looking especially ''big'' considering since it was usually seen at a much lower altitude in flight), and was used as a commercial craft, like a luxury liner.
One cannot overstate the appeal of these magnificent airships. People would drop what they were doing and rush outside to see one pass overhead. They would take pictures. It was the kind of thing you told your grandchildren about, especially if you got to tour one while it was landed
Due to heavy weather conditions, the ship was already late, and Captain Max Pruss had kept in the air for a few additional hours longer than expected until a storm over Lakehurst cleared up. At around 7 p.m., the ''Hindenburg'' came into Lakehurst and attempted an in-air anchoring (called a "flying mooring") in heavy winds. Newsreel cameras were rolling and veteran radio newscaster Herbert Morrison of WLS was making a test recording (on special phonograph disks) of what he thought was going to be a routine landing with subsequent passenger interviews.
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Nobody is sure what happened that day, inquiries held afterwards suggested everything from a lightning strike to deliberate sabotage, although most tests, including those from ''[[MythBusters]]'', indicate that it was a combination of factors. The most likely scenario is that a discharge of static electricity ignited a small amount of leaked hydrogen gas, which quickly grew into an unstoppable chain-reaction. Whatever caused it, the crash of the ''Hindenburg'' is an iconic moment in the histories of aviation and broadcasting. It was the end of the use of airships for passenger flights.
For tropes about the newsreel and Herbert Morrison's commentary, see [[Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage]].
{{tropelist|The ''Hindenburg'' and its horrific last flight are examples of the following:}}
* [[Broadcasting in the United States]] - A historic moment remembered (and replayed) even today. The [[Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage|iconic newsreel footage]] was added to the [[National Film Registry]] in 1997.
* [[Cool Airship]] - It remains the largest object made by man to ever fly.
* [[Made of Explodium]] - Airships were supposed to use helium, which is very stable and nonflammable. But this was available only in and from the United States, which had [[Holding Back the Phlebotinum|imposed a ban on overseas sales for strategic reasons]]. The Germans used the less expensive (and extremely volatile) hydrogen gas instead. If that was not enough, the construction materials involved compounds commonly seen in incendiary weapons, though not in the proportions that would normally be volatile.
** Later studies show that it can't all be blamed on the use of Hydrogen. It's not as volatile as many believe it to be—Hydrogen will only explode when used in extremely compressed quantities. When it burns instead of explodes, it emits a smokeless, clear, cool(er than normal fire) flame (and of note, around 80% of fire deaths are the result of smoke inhalation, not burns). A study done by the University of Miami demonstrated this: they took two cars, one gasoline-powered and one Hydrogen-powered, and penetrated the tanks, igniting them. The gasoline, being liquid, pooled at the source and eventually exploded into a ball of fiery death. The Hydrogen? It was a gas, so it dissipated much more quickly, and it merely burned its fuel supply and sizzled out with very minimal damage. This is not to say that the Hindenburg was
* [[Nazi Germany]] - The ''Hindenburg'' bore prominent swastikas, Plus, many of the people involved with the ''Hindenburg'' were, of course, Nazis. Its first flights involved dropping leaflets to urge people to vote for Hitler for chancellor. However, manager Hugo Eckener, head of the Zeppelin company and longtime captain of the ''Graf Zeppelin'', was an outspoken anti-Nazi. In fact he quickly named the airship "Hindenburg" after Germany's then-president, before the Nazis could name it the "Adolph Hitler."
* [[Starship Luxurious]] - Although actually making very efficient use of space, the ''Hindenburg'' could definitely impress fans and passengers as the 30s version of this.
* [[Stock Shout-Outs]]: As evidenced by the list of references below.
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{{examples|References in media:}}
==
* The Don Simpson-illustrated six-issue "Monster Comics" adaptation of ''[[King Kong]]'' was originally to include a scene wherein Kong, at the top of the Empire State Building, [[Non Sequitur Scene|encounters the Hindenburg flying overhead]]. He is described as becoming "instinctively enraged" by the Swastikas on it ("The symbol of Nazi tyranny!"), and punches it, causing it to crash. Simpson used photos of the actual crash for the panels depicting the Hindenburg's destruction. The scene, totaling two pages, was cut from the sixth and final issue of the comic after it was realized the scene was in poor taste. The deleted scene was included on separate "bonus pages" printed on green paper if you ordered all six issues from Simpson's website.
== Film ==
* The [[Internet Movie Database]] lists at least five documentary TV shows about the airship.
* ''The Hindenburg'' was a 1975 film about its last flight, with its plot centered around a fictional conspiracy to destroy the airship.
* Polly Perkins' telephoned report on the giant robot attack on New York in ''[[Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow]]'' is clearly based in equal parts on [[The War of the Worlds (radio)|Orson Welles' ''War of the Worlds'' broadcast]] and Herb Morrison's ''Hindenberg'' coverage. There's also mention of the ''Hindenberg III'' in Polly's article on the disappearance of Dr. Vargas.
== Literature ==
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== Music ==
* The ''Hindenburg'' disaster is depicted on the cover of the first [[Led Zeppelin]] album, in an obvious [[Visual Pun]].
** In ''[[Brutal Legend]]'', the guitar solo "Bring it on Home" summons a giant flaming Zeppelin airship on top of the enemies, in reference to both the Led Zeppelin album above and the ''Hindenburg'' disaster.▼
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]'' introduced the Ghost/Flying-type, Drifloon, and its evolution, Drifblim, styled after a child's balloon and a hot air balloon, respectively. The [[Black Humor|joke]] of [[Hello, Insert Name Here|naming]] one "Hindenburg" was fairly obvious and commonly done, thanks in part to them learning Explosion and having an Ability whose Japanese name is "Detonation". Then the fifth generation of games, whose region is based on an American location (New York City and [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|New Jersey]]) for the first time gave these Pokémon an Ability exclusive to them that grants a [[Status Buff]] [[Power At a Price|while]] [[Standard Status Effects|Burned]]. Oh yeah, and in this generation Drifblim now [[Black Comedy|learns Explosion at level]] 56,<ref>The Hindenburg Disaster occurred on May 6th</ref> instead of 51...
* ''[[Solatorobo]]''{{'}}s first level is aboard an airship named the ''Hindenburg''. Of course, it crashes in [[Kill It with Fire|a ball of flames]], though this time, the culprit is Lares.
▲
== Western Animation ==
* [[DuckTales (1987)|The original ''DuckTales'']] managed to combine this airship with the ''Titanic'' in one episode.
* Parodied on ''[[Family Guy]]'':
{{quote|'''Peter:''' To the Hindenpeter!}}
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[[Category:Tropes Examined by the Mythbusters]]
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