Facts about the Hindenburg

1. 12

   Mooring mast procedures at Lakehurst required the Hindenburg's crew to discharge static electricity through cables before passengers could disembark, a safety protocol that failed on May 6, 1937.

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2. 11

   Captain Ernst Lehmann, the Hindenburg's commander, survived the initial crash but died from severe burns 36 hours later at a New Jersey hospital.

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3. 10

   Hydrogen's extreme flammability made the Hindenburg vulnerable, as the gas burns at temperatures around 2,000 degrees Celsius, roughly four times hotter than burning wood.

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4. 09

   First-class passengers paid $400 for a one-way transatlantic ticket on the Hindenburg in 1936, equivalent to roughly $8,000 in modern currency.

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5. 08

   During its 35 transatlantic flights between 1936 and 1937, the Hindenburg never experienced a single accident until its final approach to Lakehurst, New Jersey.

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6. 07

   Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin designed the Hindenburg's predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, which completed 144 successful Atlantic crossings between 1928 and 1937 without incident.

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7. 06

   Each crossing of the Atlantic aboard the Hindenburg took approximately 2.5 days compared to 5-7 days by ship, making it the fastest transatlantic passenger service in the 1930s.

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8. 05

   The Hindenburg's outer covering was a cotton fabric treated with a flammable dope mixture containing cellulose acetate and aluminum powder to make it weatherproof and reflective.

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9. 04

   Luxurious accommodations aboard the Hindenburg included a smoking room with an electric lighter, despite the aircraft being filled with highly flammable hydrogen gas.

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10. 03

    Fifty-one passengers and crew members survived the Hindenburg disaster by jumping from the burning aircraft at heights between 10 and 37 feet above the ground.

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11. 02

    Approximately 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen gas filled the Hindenburg's 16 gas cells, making it roughly the length of the Titanic at 804 feet long.

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12. 01

    On May 6, 1937, the German passenger airship Hindenburg caught fire while attempting to dock in New Jersey, killing 35 of 97 people aboard.

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