The HIndenburg and its sistership, the Graf Zeppelin, were the two largest manmade objects ever to achieve sustained flight.
On March 6, 1937, the Hindenburg was landing at Lakehurst with 97 people aboard, including 36 passengers. A ground crew of more than 200 was working to bring the gigantic airship to a safe docking. Suddenly, a fire broke out in the airship's tail section.
In less than a minute, the entire airship was consumed by fire. Despite the overwhelming magnitude of the fire, only 37 people lost their lives. The lighter-than-air character of hydrogen caused the burning ship to settle slowly to the ground.
Until recently, the Hindenburg disaster was blamed on the hydrogen gas used to keep the airship buoyant and aloft. After six decades, the truth was revealed by retired NASA engineer, Addison Bain. What he discovered was that the fabric covering the Hindenburg was painted with a dopant that was remarkably similar to chemicals used in rocket fuel. Bain showed that the fire started when static electricity in the stmosphere ignited the Hindenburg's highly flammable fabric covering.
No question, the hydrogen on board caught fire and burned, but its character caused the flames to be carried up and away from those fleeing the fire.
I have spent a good deal of my adult life making videos extolling the virtues of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The myth about the Hindenburg was an impediment to the public's ability to trust hydrogen as a means of delivering clean energy on demand. Addison Bain's work thoroughly discredited that troubling myth.
When asked about his revelation about the Hindenburg, Addison Bain likes to say the moral of the story is 'Don't paint your airship with rocket fuel.'
The link below is to the original video of the Hindenburg disaster, shot in 1937...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54rqDh2mWA
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