What was the Hindenburg disaster?

Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com! Join Mira and Finn as they travel back to 1937 to uncover one of the most famous events in aviation history! Imagine a flying machine longer than three whole football fields. Wow! That was the Hindenburg, a gigantic airship filled with hydrogen gas that flew lucky passengers across the Atlantic Ocean in total luxury! People didn't fly in airplanes back then like they do today; they rode in giant floating blimps called zeppelins. But on May 6, 1937, something unbelievable happened. While trying to land in New Jersey, the mighty Hindenburg suddenly burst into flames! In just 34 seconds, the biggest flying machine ever built was completely destroyed. It was so shocking that a live radio reporter famously cried out, "Oh, the humanity!" How did this enormous floating palace catch fire? And why did this fiery disaster forever end the incredible age of passenger airships? Tune in to find out all the mind-blowing facts about the rise and fall of the mighty Hindenburg! You won't want to miss this explosive episode!

Transcript

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Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Since this week marks the anniversary of May 6th, 1937, we are travelling back in time to witness something absolutely massive. How massive are we talking? Like a skyscraper? Bigger! Imagine a flying machine nearly three entire football fields long, floating right over your head. No way! An airplane that big? Not an aeroplane, Finn. A giant airship. The biggest flying machine ever built in human history. Whoa! What happened to it? Do they still fly today? They don't. Because of one terrifying event that changed aviation forever. This giant ship, the Hindenburg, burst into flames. Wait, it caught on fire while it was flying. Yes, and from the moment the first spark appeared, the entire ship burned up in just 34 seconds. 34 seconds? That's faster than I can tie my shoes. Exactly. It was a disaster broadcast live on the radio, and it completely ended the age of giant airships. Okay, I need to know everything. Let's go to 1937. To understand this, you have to picture the 1930s. People didn't fly across the ocean in jets yet. They took ocean liner ships, which took five days or more. So what was the alternative? This giant football field ship? Exactly. It was called a Zeppelin, a rigid airship. Specifically the LZ-129 Hindenburg. It was 804 feet long. 804 feet? That's as tall as a 70-story building if you stood it on its end. Spot on. It had a giant metal frame covered in fabric. But to make it float, the inside was filled with 7 million cubic feet of gas. Like a hot air balloon. Or a birthday balloon with helium. They wanted to use helium because it's completely safe and doesn't catch fire. But the United States controlled most of the world's helium and wouldn't sell it to Germany. Uh-oh. So what gas did they use instead? Hydrogen. It's incredibly light, which is great for flying. But it is highly, dangerously explosive. They filled a metal ship the size of nearly three football fields with explosive gas and put people inside. They did. And it was a luxury ship. Tickets cost$400 in 1937, which is like$9,200 today.$9,200 for a plane ticket? What do you get for that? You got a private cabin, a fancy dining room with waiters in white jackets, and massive windows to watch the ocean go by. Wow, it actually sounds amazing. If you ignore the giant bomb of hydrogen above your head. Our story starts on May 3, 1937. The Hindenburg takes off from Frankfurt, Germany, heading for America. How many people were on board for this trip? There were 97 people in total. That's 36 passengers and 61 crew members. The crew was almost double the passengers. They must have been treated like royalty. They really were. The flight across the Atlantic Ocean took about three days due to strong headwinds, cruising at 76 miles per hour. Very smooth and quiet. Okay, about three days. That brings us to May 6th, right? The day of the anniversary? Yes. The morning of May 6th, they arrive off the coast of New Jersey. Their destination is the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst. Did something go wrong during the flight? No, the flight was perfect. But when they reached New Jersey, there were heavy thunderstorms. The sky was dark, raining, and full of lightning. Lightning? Around a ship full of explosive hydrogen? Turn around. Go back. The commander, Captain Max Pruss, knew it was dangerous, so he delayed the landing. They flew in circles over the coast for hours, waiting for the storm to clear. Oh good. Smart captain. Did the weather finally get better? At 7 pm, the storm passed. The ground crew at Lakehurst signaled the Hindenburg to come down. Hundreds of people were watching from the ground. At 7.21 pm, the giant ship is about 200 feet in the air. The crew drops thick ropes down so the ground team can pull the ship to its mooring mast. I have a bad feeling about this. What happened next? At 7.25 pm, witnesses notice something on the outside fabric near the back of the ship. Some saw a blue spark, like static electricity. A spark? And it touched the hydrogen? Yes. Flames suddenly erupted. Because hydrogen is so flammable, the fire raced across the top of the giant ship with a terrifying roar. Wait, what about the people inside? They're 200 feet in the air. The ship's tail lost its gas and slammed into the ground. A radio reporter named Herbert Morrison was recording it live. He cried out, Oh the humanity, as the ship fell. And it all burned in just 34 seconds, like you said earlier. Exactly 34 seconds. The massive metal frame crashed down in a huge ball of fire. But Finn, here is the most incredible part of the story. Did people escape? Tell me they escaped. Out of the 97 people on board, 62 of them survived. Wait, what? How do you survive a flying fireball falling from the sky? As the ship sank closer to the ground, passengers and crew smashed the windows and jumped out into the soft sand below, then ran as fast as they could. Though it's so sad that 35 people on board and one person on the ground didn't make it. It was a terrible tragedy, Finn. And because it was caught on film and broadcast on the radio, the whole world saw it. Is that why we don't use giant airships anymore? Exactly. The Hindenburg disaster instantly ended the era of passenger airships. People lost trust in them, and aeroplanes became the new way to travel. Makes sense. I wouldn't want to ride in a hydrogen balloon after that. But I promised you some wild facts about the ship itself. Did you know they had a special smoking room on board? A smoking room on a ship filled with explosive gas? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I know. They specially pressurized the room so no hydrogen could leak in. There was only one electric lighter attached to the wall, and the crew checked everyone's pockets for matches before they boarded. That is seriously risky. What else was weird about it? In its first year, it actually had a grand piano made entirely of aluminium to save weight. It weighed 356 pounds, though they removed it before the final 1937 flight. An aluminum piano! I wonder what that sounded like. And get this, despite the massive fire, 176 pieces of mail being carried in the cargo actually survived the crash because they were kept in a protective bag. The mail carrier always delivers, even through a fireball. Alright, Finn, quiz time! Are you ready? Oh I am so ready. Give me the toughest questions you've got. First question. Exactly how many seconds did it take for the Hindenburg to completely burn? Next one. What highly flammable gas was inside the giant airship? Question three. What US state was the Hindenburg landing in when the disaster happened? Here's number four. What famous four-word phrase did radio reporter Herbert Morrison cry out? Last question. How many of the 97 people on board miraculously survived? Great job! Let's see how you did. The first answer is it took exactly 34 seconds to burn. For question two, the ship was filled with explosive hydrogen gas. The answer to number three is it was landing in New Jersey. Question 4. Herbert Morrison famously cried out, oh the humanity! And the final answer is 62 people survived the disaster. Wow! A massive flying machine filled with hydrogen and it all ends in 34 seconds. History is absolutely wild. It really is. It shows how sometimes a tragic event can change the course of human technology forever. I'm just glad 62 people made it out of there safely. Me too! Hey listeners, if you love learning about giant airships and the amazing escape from the Hindenburg, please leave us a five-star review. Yeah, just scroll down on your podcast app and tap those five stars right now. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We have tons of awesome learning games and fun activities for you to explore. And if you want a shout out on the show or just want to tell us your favourite history fact, email us at hello at kidopoly.com. We love hearing from you. Thanks for travelling back to 1937 with us today. See you next time on History is not boring. Bye, everyone!