Hindenburg: Difference between revisions

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{{Useful Notes}}
[[File:Hindenburg disaster.jpg|thumb|300px]]
{{quote|''"Oh, the humanity!"''|'''Herbert Morrison''', in a radio broadcast}}
 
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.
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The world knows what happened next. With the ''Hindenburg'' only a few feet from its mooring mast, it caught fire and came crashing down in a spectacular fireball. The horrified Morrison kept right on talking, describing exactly what was happening until he was overcome with smoke and emotion and had to step inside the hangar to recover himself. He subsequently reported on rescue efforts and even interviewed survivors. In total, the disaster claimed the lives of 35 people.
 
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|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:}}