Hindenburg

As the great airship hovered above its landing spot at New Jersey’s Lakehurst Naval Station, thunderstorms still rumbled in the atmosphere. It had been a stormy May 6th day.

Making its first trip of the 1937 season, the Hindenburg carried 97 people. Her crew expected to return to Frankfurt in a few days. The Zeppelin would be fully loaded with American passengers planning to attend the coronation of George VI.

But those passengers would need to find another way to London. Within 34 seconds after Commander Rosendahl saw the small burst of flame, the great rigid airship was completely destroyed in an unbelievable fire.

Miraculously, 62 people survived.

Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.