Hindenburg: Difference between revisions

{{Useful Notes}}

 

On May 6, 1937, the German airship LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' was about to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in 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.

 

Nobody is sure what happened that day, inquiries held afterwards suggested everything from a lightning strike to deliberate sabotage, although most [[MythBusters|recent tests]] 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.

{{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.

* [[Starship Luxurious]] - Although actually making very efficient use of space, the ''Hindenburg'' could definitely impress fans and passengers as the 30s version of this.

* [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]] - The Germans had not had any trouble with hydrogen in airships before, and believed they were taking adequate safety precautions. The ''Hindenburg'' had been flying back and forth for over a year with no problems. More significantly, the ''Graf Zeppelin'' had been flying for over a decade, and none of the other 120 airships built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin (it was called "LZ-''129''" for a reason) had spontaneously combusted.

 

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