Hindenburg - HINDENBURG DISASTER

Murray Becker took this photo of the Hindenburg exploding on May 6, 1937. It is maintained at the Library of Congress as part of the "Warren Coville Collection of Iconic Photojournalism Images." Dana Keller colorized the historical image.

Morrison told his audience, "There’s not a possible chance for any one to be saved." Remarkably, though, more people lived than died.

Some quickly jumped from the gondola, thinking that was the safest method to escape the raging fire. But jumping 300 feet, the equivalent of 30 stories, promised a different kind of death.

Others waited to jump until the Hindenburg was closer to the ground. Although some of those passengers survived, they were badly burned.

As the massive Zeppelin succumbed to the raging fire, thousands of gallons of water ballast fell to the ground. With the loss of her forward ballast, the ship was no longer level. With her nose now pointing up, the burning stern crashed to the ground.

Within 34 seconds, the Hindenburg itself was completely destroyed. The speed of the fire was stunning, especially to relatives waiting on the ground to meet their family members.

The shock of witnessing what everyone believed was the death of every person on board was more than most could bear. So was the smell of burning flesh. Many of the waiting relatives fainted.