The 803-foot-long Hindenburg had almost completed its first transatlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany, and was coming in to its mooring site at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
A storm had just passed and it now appeared safe to land, so the great airship dropped to 200 feet, threw out the landing cables and approached the mooring mast. Newsmen were on hand to record the first arrival of the great airship.
Suddenly a bright flash appeared near the upper fin on the Hindenburg's tail. Instantly, the flash became a red fireball that engulfed the hydrogen-filled ship.
As the reporters recorded the disaster, the great airship slowly slid to the ground, a blazing heap of twisted metal.
Surprisingly, only 36 people died. Many simply stepped off the gondola as it touched the ground.
The Hindenburg burned so quickly because it was filled with flammable hydrogen. The Germans had planned to fill it with non-flammable helium, but the United States had a monopoly on helium and was afraid to sell it to them for fear the Nazi government would use it in warfare.
But what ignited the hydrogen is still a mystery. Some people think it was a spark from the passing storm or from the mooring mast. Others think it may have been sabotage by anti-Nazis.
