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{{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 what was at that time [[w:Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst|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 or—OMG! -- ride in one. Cross the technological sophistication of the "Concorde" and the grandeur of "RMS Titanic" and you'll have some idea.
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* [[Intrepid Reporter]] - Herb Morrison is remembered as a hero by radio and television newscasters. He had a long and successful life and career. His assistant Charlie Nehlsen, who actually operated the disc recording machine, should also be remembered; he had the presence of mind to adjust the needle back onto the disc after the massive explosion had jarred it askew (you can hear this, right after Morrison says, "It burst into flames," if you listen carefully).
* [[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
* [[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."
* [[Newsreel]] - Most people at the time saw the silent footage from the video cameras, or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47x9q5-C2k something like this]. Morrison's audio recording was only dubbed onto these films many years later.
* [[Oh, the Humanity!]]
* [[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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== Literature ==
* ''[[The Pendragon Adventure]]'' actually has a take on how the incident really happened in its third book, ''The Never War'': a fireworks rocket was shot at the Hindenburg, setting it on fire. In the story, [[The Hero|Bobby]] actually considered the possibility of knocking the rocket aside and changing history. Thankfully, [[The Obi-Wan|Gunny]] [[Stable Time Loop|stopped him]], or history would have gotten [[It Got Worse|much, much worse from there.]]
== Live-Action TV ==
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== 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
* ''[[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 ==
* An episode of ''[[The Critic]]'' featured characters traveling Hindenburg Airlines, whose motto is "Oh The Humanity!"
*
* Parodied on ''[[Family Guy]]'':
{{quote|'''Peter:''' To the Hindenpeter!}}
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