***OT*** (and wondering why your's aren't prefaced)
Since we are rehashing old news Colleen I'd like to add to your collection:
infoplease.lycos.com
On May 6, 1937, the
German airship
Hindenburg burst
into flames 200 feet
over its intended
landing spot at New
Jersey's Lakehurst
Naval Air Station.
Thirty-five people on
board the flight were
killed (13 passengers
and 22 crewmen), along with one crewman on the ground.
The giant flying vessel measured 803.8 feet in length and weighed
approximately 242 tons. Its mostly metal frame was filled with hydrogen.
It came complete with numerous sleeping quarters, a library, dining
room, and a magnificent lounge, but still managed a top speed of just
over 80 miles per hour.
The zeppelin had just crossed the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from
Frankfurt, Germany 2½ days prior on its first transatlantic voyage of the
season. Thirty-six passengers and a crew of 61 were on board.
As it reached its final destination in New Jersey, it hovered over its
landing spot and was beginning to be pulled down to the ground by
landing lines by over 200 crewmen when disaster struck. A small burst
of flame started just forward of the upper fin, then blossomed into an
inferno that quickly engulfed the Hindenburg's tail.
Many jumped from the burning craft,
landed on the soft sand of the naval
base below, and lived to tell about it;
others weren't so lucky. Herb
Morrison, a reporter for WLS Radio in
Chicago, happened to be covering the
event and cried out the now famous
words, "Oh, the Humanity!" The
majestic ship turned into ball of flames
on the ground in only 34 seconds.
The cause of the disaster is still
uncertain. At the time, many thought the ship had been hit by lightning.
Many still believe that the highly flammable hydrogen was the cause.
Some Germans even cried foul play, suspecting sabotage intended to
sully the reputation of the Nazi regime. NASA research, however, has
shown that the highly combustible varnish treating the fabric on the
outside of the vessel most likely caused the tragedy.
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