Click on this link to watch and hear dramatic coverage of the Hindenburg crash:
The Hindenburg disaster in 1937 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst New Jersey was a turning point in history for passenger travel and flight. The Hindenburg was one of the largest rigid framed luxury airships produced. It carried passengers across the ocean at 80 mph, much faster than traditional ocean liners. This marvel of technological engineering had 20 successful crossings of the North and South Atlantic Ocean before the horrific crash that etched its name in history.
The German -made Hindenburg was a sister ship to the Graf Zeppelin that had logged over one million safe flight miles. The company boasted that not one person had ever been injured while flying in a Zeppelin. Other U.S. and British Dirigibles (smaller blimps) had accidents mostly due to weather conditions.
Many theories were proposed to explain the reasons for the Hindenburg’s fiery crash (1). It is generally agreed that a spark from static electricity or lightning ignited the hydrogen gas on board and perpetuated the fireball that ensued. Other technology of the era including the use of highly flammable paint and the Hindenburg’s chemically treated cotton fabric skin contributed to the raging fire that consumed the airship in less than 37 seconds (1, 2).
The crash of the Hindenburg had a dramatic impact on society and the future of airship travel. Thirty -six people including thirteen passengers, twenty-two crew members and one ground crew member lost their lives in the fiery inferno. The dramatic motion pictures and newscaster Herbert Morrison’s moving recording of the crash destroyed the public’s trust in this type of air travel technology (1). Giant, hydrogen –filled passenger airships were no longer used to transport air passengers. The movie technology and recording artist’s vivid documentation of the tragic Hindenburg crash have captured and preserved this horrific, historic event for viewing by future generations (3).
The German -made Hindenburg was a sister ship to the Graf Zeppelin that had logged over one million safe flight miles. The company boasted that not one person had ever been injured while flying in a Zeppelin. Other U.S. and British Dirigibles (smaller blimps) had accidents mostly due to weather conditions.
Many theories were proposed to explain the reasons for the Hindenburg’s fiery crash (1). It is generally agreed that a spark from static electricity or lightning ignited the hydrogen gas on board and perpetuated the fireball that ensued. Other technology of the era including the use of highly flammable paint and the Hindenburg’s chemically treated cotton fabric skin contributed to the raging fire that consumed the airship in less than 37 seconds (1, 2).
The crash of the Hindenburg had a dramatic impact on society and the future of airship travel. Thirty -six people including thirteen passengers, twenty-two crew members and one ground crew member lost their lives in the fiery inferno. The dramatic motion pictures and newscaster Herbert Morrison’s moving recording of the crash destroyed the public’s trust in this type of air travel technology (1). Giant, hydrogen –filled passenger airships were no longer used to transport air passengers. The movie technology and recording artist’s vivid documentation of the tragic Hindenburg crash have captured and preserved this horrific, historic event for viewing by future generations (3).
I thought this post was very fitting considering the genre of your blog. The Hindenburg was one of the biggest disasters of its time, right behind the sinking of the Titanic. The picture that you guys put on there is awesome I had never actually seen a picture of the crash before. Also I didn't know that it only took 37 seconds for the entire airship to burn, that is extremely interesting and would have been scary to see.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that this one of the biggest disasters. Hindenburg’s size was so massive that it makes our commercial airlines look like toys. They tried to experiment with the usage of hydrogen gas and they thought they were successful but after the first trip before landing something terribly went wrong. Actually it caught on fire because of a small spark. We can’t imagine that a small thing like that can have a huge impact tat can lead to a total disaster. And now they learned that hydrogen is highly flammable so, I think that we might never see any Arial transportation in future because of this disaster.
ReplyDeleteI am in fully agreement with this post. This was one of the horrific and tragic events in history of United States. This is considered right after sinking of Titanic. Back in the days, people weren’t worried about safety as much as now days. Now, we have safety label or warning on every little toy/thing we purchase. It wasn’t airborne for a long time. Although, the number of people died is not as much as sinking of Titanic, still it is a very tragic event. It says in the post that raging fire burned the whole airship in 37 seconds. This picture sums up the whole post. It shows a very fantastic view at the fire. I had never seen this picture but now it is very clear in my mind how this whole thing happened. I agree that safety is much needed thing in today’s world. Our technology has grown so quickly that sometimes we forget about little things like safety, which is a very big part of it. I read all the posts. Their posts support their topic. I like their name Spark Blog. Every post is well written and deeply researched.
ReplyDeleteWhat a devastating event! It is unfortunate tragedies like this that will never be forgotten. The Titanic would I guess be another example of such mishaps. Making it even more unforgettable is the filming actually documenting the crash. I'm sure watching the Hindeburg consumed in flames after only 37 seconds was shockingly traumatic for viewers, I'm not sure I would trust something so potentially disaterous afterwards. I think that quite possibly though this disaster was exacerbated by technological improvements. In my opinion chemically treated cotton skin and highly flamable paint should have been thought out a little more carefully. Maybe some more extensive safety testing could have prevented the accident. Very interesting post, extremely relevant to safety and technology!
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ReplyDeleteThis events effect was magnified by the media ability to cover it's occurance. It also was the end of an era and helped user in the age of plane flight.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we woudl still be using them today if it hadn;t happened and been covered live that day.
I also agree that the Hindenberg was on the the worst disasters of the early 20th century. I am particularly fond of this subject because my husband's great grandfather was, I believe, one of the top mean in charge of the commission of this Zeppelin, Admiral Charles Rosendahl. This subject is never talked about at the dinner table as you can imagine. It's nice to see someone taking an interest in this, especially because the world has made such great advances in technology since then to ensure that a diseaster like this will never occur again.
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