††††The first non-steerable, power-driven airship was invented in 1852 by Henri Giffard. It was powered by a steam engine and a three-bladed propeller. The first dirigible (steerable airship) was called La France and was developed by Charles Renard and Arthur C. Krebs. It was successfully tested on 9th August, 1884. In 1897 David Schwartz developed the first rigid-hulled airship, an idea later furthered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. On 2nd July 1900 he launched his famous hydrogen-filled Zeppelin airship, which was to spend some years in commercial operation. However, in 1937 one of his Zeppelins, the Hindenburg, burst into flames, and effectively ended its widespread use. Modern airships are filled with helium gas. They are mainly used for photographic and television work.
