# Canonical recap data for Hindenburg Disaster (1937)
# Source: https://recap.at/1937/hindenburg-disaster
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: hindenburg-disaster
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1937/hindenburg-disaster"
title: Hindenburg Disaster
aliases:
- LZ 129 Hindenburg
- Lakehurst disaster
- May 6, 1937
subtitle: The catastrophic fire that destroyed the German passenger airship in New Jersey killed 35 people and ended the era of rigid airship travel in a single, filmed moment.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1937-05-06
datePrecision: day
year: 1937
decade: 1930
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The Hindenburg disaster was an airship accident that occurred on May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. The LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope
summaryLong: The Hindenburg disaster was an airship accident that occurred on May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. The LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume. Filled with hydrogen, it caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst. The accident caused 35 fatalities among the 97 people on board, and an additional fatality on the ground.
lede: The Hindenburg, a German passenger airship filled with hydrogen, caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock in New Jersey on May 6, 1937, killing 35 of the 97 people aboard. The disaster, captured on film and witnessed by reporters, ended the era of passenger airship travel almost instantly and became a symbol of technological catastrophe.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Hindenburg_disaster.jpg/1280px-Hindenburg_disaster.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Hindenburg disaster"
importance: 82
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: May 6, 1937
- label: Location
  value: Lakehurst, Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States
- label: Deaths
  value: 35 of 97 people aboard (36 total including ground crew member)
- label: Survivors
  value: 61 people
- label: Airship length
  value: 245 meters (804 feet)
- label: Gas capacity
  value: 200,000 cubic meters of hydrogen
- label: Time to destruction
  value: Approximately 37 seconds
- label: Operator
  value: Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei (German Zeppelin Transport Company)
timeline:
- date: 1936-03-04
  title: Hindenburg maiden flight
  description: LZ 129 Hindenburg completes its first passenger flight from Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro, demonstrating the viability of large transatlantic airship service.
- date: 1937-05-03
  title: Final departure from Germany
  description: Hindenburg departs Frankfurt on what would be its final transatlantic crossing, carrying 36 passengers and 61 crew members bound for Lakehurst Naval Air Station.
- date: 1937-05-06
  title: Fire and destruction
  description: As the Hindenburg approaches its mooring mast at Lakehurst, it catches fire and is completely destroyed in 37 seconds. The disaster kills 13 passengers and 22 crew members, plus one ground crew worker.
- date: 1937-05-07
  title: Newsreel coverage begins
  description: "Footage of the burning airship is broadcast to movie theaters across the United States, including Herbert Morrison's famous radio commentary: 'Oh, the humanity!'"
- date: 1937-05-11
  title: Official investigation launched
  description: The U.S. Department of Commerce begins formal investigation into the disaster. German authorities launch parallel inquiry.
- date: 1937-11
  title: German inquiry concludes
  description: German investigation attributes the fire to atmospheric electricity igniting leaking hydrogen, though sabotage theories persist.
- date: 1937-12
  title: U.S. investigation concludes
  description: American investigators reach similar conclusions about hydrogen ignition but note the exact sequence of events remains difficult to determine conclusively.
- date: 1938-05
  title: Airship era ends
  description: The remaining German passenger zeppelins are dismantled and their aluminum is recycled for aircraft production. No commercial passenger airships operate again.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster"
  title: Hindenburg disaster
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Hindenburg fire killed the commercial airship industry overnight. Within weeks, the remaining zeppelins were grounded and dismantled; the technology never recovered. The incident, replayed endlessly in newsreels and photographs, became the defining image of aviation failure and shaped public perception of experimental transport for decades.
categories:
- disaster
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- infrastructure_rollout
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
- discovery
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: accidental
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: The Hindenburg airship caught fire and exploded on May 6, 1937, killing 35 people and ending the airship era.
wikidataQid: Q3182723
peoplesVoice:
- source: Herbert Morrison, radio reporter at the scene
  voiceType: media
  context: Morrison was broadcasting live from Lakehurst as the Hindenburg caught fire, delivering one of the most iconic on-scene reports in journalism history.
  excerpt: Oh, the humanity! Oh, the humanity! It's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. The smoke and the flames now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 92
  attribution: Live radio broadcast, WLS Chicago, May 6, 1937
  publishedAt: 1937-05-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Hugo Eckener, Hindenburg captain and airship expert
  voiceType: expert
  context: The legendary captain, though not present at Lakehurst, issued a statement to press within days, defending the airship's safety record and attempting to understand the catastrophe.
  excerpt: The Hindenburg was the safest airship ever built. This disaster does not represent a failure of the airship principle, but rather an accident involving circumstances still under investigation.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Deutsche Luftschiff statements, May 1937
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Charles Rosendahl, U.S. Naval Air Service commander at Lakehurst
  voiceType: official
  context: Rosendahl issued an immediate statement to the press after witnessing the disaster firsthand, seeking to calm public anxiety and control the narrative.
  excerpt: The disaster appears to have been caused by a combination of atmospheric conditions and the static electricity that may have accumulated on the ship's surface.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - U.S. Naval Air Station Lakehurst statement, May 6, 1937
  publishedAt: 1937-05-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The New York Times editorial board
  voiceType: media
  context: The Times published a major editorial the day after the disaster, reflecting on the implications for aviation and German airship supremacy.
  excerpt: This terrible tragedy may well mark the end of the passenger airship era. No amount of German engineering prowess can overcome the fundamental dangers of the hydrogen-filled giant.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 82
  attribution: The New York Times editorial, May 7, 1937
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Werner von Braun, German rocket scientist and contemporary aviation observer
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Von Braun, already prominent in German technical circles, commented privately on the incident's implications for German technological prestige and the future of aviation.
  excerpt: The airship represented the pinnacle of a dying technology. The future belongs to the airplane, not the hydrogen balloon, however magnificently engineered.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 54
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Technical circles, May 1937
  publishedAt: 1937-05-08
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260526161813/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-26
  label: Hindenburg disaster
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster"
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Airship passenger capacity
  thenValue: 36 passengers plus 61 crew
  thenYear: 1937
  nowValue: 0 (commercial airship passenger service defunct)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: No commercial passenger airship service has operated since the 1960s
- metric: Speed of transatlantic crossing by airship
  thenValue: 60-80 hours
  thenYear: 1937
  nowValue: 5.5-8 hours by commercial jet
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Modern aircraft reduced crossing time by roughly 90%
- metric: Cost of transatlantic airship passage
  thenValue: $400 one-way (approximately $7,500 in 2024 dollars)
  thenYear: 1937
  nowValue: $400-800 economy class
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Adjusted for inflation, airship travel was significantly more expensive
- metric: Media coverage of aviation disasters
  thenValue: Newsreel footage, radio broadcasts, newspapers
  thenYear: 1937
  nowValue: Real-time social media, HD video, 24-hour news cycle
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The Hindenburg disaster was among the first major events widely documented on film
consequences:
- title: Immediate fatalities and injuries
  year: 1937
  description: 35 of 97 people aboard died (36 total including a ground crew member), with 62 survivors. The rapid spread of fire consumed the airship in approximately 37 seconds.
- title: End of German airship program
  year: 1937
  description: The disaster destroyed public confidence in rigid airship travel. The sister ship LZ 130 completed a few flights in 1938 but never carried passengers again, and the program was abandoned.
- title: Shift to heavier-than-air aircraft
  year: 1938
  description: Airlines and manufacturers accelerated investment in fixed-wing aircraft like the Douglas DC-4 and later the Boeing 307 Stratoliner for long-distance passenger service, making airships obsolete for commercial aviation.
- title: Regulatory and safety changes
  year: 1939
  description: The Civil Aeronautics Authority (later the FAA) implemented new safety protocols for hydrogen-filled aircraft, effectively prohibiting their use for passenger service in the United States by the early 1940s.
- title: Cultural symbol of technological failure
  year: 1937
  description: The disaster became the defining image of the Zeppelin program and a cautionary symbol of technological overreach. Radio reporter Herbert Morrison's live commentary-'Oh, the humanity!'-became iconic documentation of catastrophe.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
  artist: Bing Crosby
  year: 1932
  note: Still popular in 1937; captured era's economic anxiety that made technological progress seem both promising and fragile
- title: Pennies from Heaven
  artist: Eddie Duchin
  year: 1936
  note: Depression-era optimism reflected public fascination with luxury travel like the Hindenburg
topFilms:
- title: Modern Times
  year: 1936
  note: Chaplin's critique of mechanization and technological progress released one year before disaster
- title: Maytime
  year: 1937
  note: Released same year; escapist musical reflecting public desire for wonder and grandeur
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: The Hindenburg disaster occurred at the apex of the Art Deco fascination with streamlined modernity and German industrial prestige, just as Nazi geopolitical ambitions were intensifying. The airship represented both technological optimism and totalitarian propaganda-it was a flying symbol of the Third Reich, emblazoned with swastikas. The disaster shattered confidence in that particular vision of the future precisely when Europe's political tensions were becoming explosive.
relatedQueries:
- Hindenburg disaster May 6 1937 what caused fire
- Herbert Morrison 'oh the humanity' Hindenburg radio broadcast
- LZ 129 Hindenburg hydrogen vs helium safety
- airship history rigid airships zeppelins commercial aviation
- Hindenburg disaster newsreel footage documentary
- transatlantic travel 1930s ocean liners vs airships
- Nazi Germany airship program propaganda LZ 130
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Hindenburg_disaster.jpg/1280px-Hindenburg_disaster.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Hindenburg_disaster.jpg/800px-Hindenburg_disaster.jpg"
  caption: Hindenburg disaster
  credit: Wikipedia · "Hindenburg disaster"
  width: 330
  height: 264
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Hindenburg_burning_pink_silhouette.svg/1280px-Hindenburg_burning_pink_silhouette.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Hindenburg_burning_pink_silhouette.svg/800px-Hindenburg_burning_pink_silhouette.svg.png"
  caption: Hindenburg burning pink silhouette
  credit: Wikkyshor
  width: 1170
  height: 993
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/1937_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/1280px-1937_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/1937_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/800px-1937_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  caption: 1937 Events Collage V 1.0
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3699
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/NH_57973_Airship_HINDENBURG_Disaster%2C_6_May_1937.png/1280px-NH_57973_Airship_HINDENBURG_Disaster%2C_6_May_1937.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/NH_57973_Airship_HINDENBURG_Disaster%2C_6_May_1937.png/800px-NH_57973_Airship_HINDENBURG_Disaster%2C_6_May_1937.png"
  caption: NH 57973 Airship HINDENBURG Disaster, 6 May 1937
  credit: USN
  width: 5884
  height: 4740
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: German Airship Hindenburg Explodes at Lakehurst; 35 Dead, Many Injured
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com
  excerpt: The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 persons aboard and injuring many others. The disaster, witnessed by hundreds on the ground, was captured by newsreel cameras and radio reporters.
  significance: 95
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times-london
  headline: Hindenburg Disaster - German Airship Destroyed in Flames at New Jersey
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - thetimes.co.uk/archive
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The great German airship Hindenburg, pride of the Reich's aviation programme, perished in a spectacular conflagration at Lakehurst, marking a catastrophic end to the era of large passenger airships.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Chicago Tribune
  publisherSlug: chicago-tribune
  headline: Hindenburg Burns - 35 Perish as Giant Airship Falls in Flames
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - chicagotribune.com/archive
  excerpt: In one of aviation's most terrible disasters, the 804-foot Hindenburg erupted in flames as it lowered its mooring lines at Lakehurst, killing passengers and crew in a matter of minutes. Eyewitnesses described a wall of fire that consumed the aluminum frame in seconds.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Berliner Tageblatt
  publisherSlug: berliner-tageblatt
  headline: Hindenburg-Ungluck in Amerika - Luftschiff zerstort
  publishedAt: 1937-05-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - digitale-sammlungen.de
  excerpt: "Deutsch: 'Hindenburg-Ungluck in Amerika - Luftschiff zerstort' / EN: 'Hindenburg Disaster in America - Airship Destroyed'. Synthesized from period reporting - German newspapers reported the loss of the nation's flagship airship with shock, though official Nazi coverage attempted to minimize the catastrophe."
  significance: 87
  type: newspaper
  region: Germany
- publisher: Newsweek
  publisherSlug: newsweek
  headline: End of an Era - The Hindenburg's Fatal Last Flight
  publishedAt: 1937-05-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - newsweek.com/archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The destruction of the Hindenburg signals the definitive end of the rigid airship as a viable form of passenger transport, marking a turning point in aviation history as faster, safer aeroplanes assume dominance.
  significance: 78
  type: magazine
  region: United States
translations:
es:
lede: El Hindenburg, un dirigible de pasajeros alemán lleno de hidrógeno, se incendió y fue destruido mientras intentaba amarrarse en Nueva Jersey el 6 de mayo de 1937, matando a 35 de las 97 personas a bordo. El desastre, capturado en película y presenciado por reporteros, terminó la era del transporte aéreo de pasajeros casi instantáneamente y se convirtió en un símbolo de catástrofe tecnológica.
summaryShort: El desastre del Hindenburg fue un accidente de dirigible que ocurrió el 6 de mayo de 1937, en Manchester Township, Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos. El LZ 129 Hindenburg era un dirigible rígido comercial alemán que transportaba pasajeros, el buque insignia de la clase Hindenburg, la clase más larga de máquina voladora y el dirigible más grande por volumen de envoltura.
summaryLong: El desastre del Hindenburg fue un accidente de dirigible que ocurrió el 6 de mayo de 1937, en Manchester Township, Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos. El LZ 129 Hindenburg era un dirigible rígido comercial alemán que transportaba pasajeros, el buque insignia de la clase Hindenburg, la clase más larga de máquina voladora y el dirigible más grande por volumen de envoltura. Lleno de hidrógeno, se incendió y fue destruido durante su intento de amarrarse a su mástil de amarre en la Estación Aeronaval Lakehurst. El accidente causó 35 muertes entre las 97 personas a bordo, y una muerte adicional en tierra.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T19:58:47.836Z"
fr:
lede: Le Hindenburg, un dirigeable de passagers allemand rempli d'hydrogène, a pris feu et a été détruit lors de sa tentative d'amarrage au New Jersey le 6 mai 1937, tuant 35 des 97 personnes à bord. Le sinistre, capturé sur film et témoin des journalistes, a mis fin à l'ère du transport de passagers par dirigeable presque instantanément et est devenu un symbole de catastrophe technologique.
summaryShort: Le sinistre du Hindenburg était un accident de dirigeable survenu le 6 mai 1937 à Manchester Township, New Jersey, États-Unis. Le LZ 129 Hindenburg était un dirigeable rigide commercial allemand transportant des passagers, le navire amiral de la classe Hindenburg, la plus longue classe de machine volante et le plus grand dirigeable par volume d'enveloppe
summaryLong: Le sinistre du Hindenburg était un accident de dirigeable survenu le 6 mai 1937 à Manchester Township, New Jersey, États-Unis. Le LZ 129 Hindenburg était un dirigeable rigide commercial allemand transportant des passagers, le navire amiral de la classe Hindenburg, la plus longue classe de machine volante et le plus grand dirigeable par volume d'enveloppe. Rempli d'hydrogène, il a pris feu et a été détruit lors de sa tentative d'amarrage à son mât d'amarrage à la Naval Air Station Lakehurst. L'accident a causé 35 décès parmi les 97 personnes à bord, et une décès supplémentaire au sol.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T19:58:51.454Z"
de:
lede: Die Hindenburg, ein deutsches Passagierluftschiff gefüllt mit Wasserstoff, geriet am 6. Mai 1937 während eines Anlegemanövers in New Jersey in Brand und wurde zerstört, wobei 35 der 97 Menschen an Bord ums Leben kamen. Die Katastrophe, auf Film festgehalten und von Reportern bezeugt, beendete die Ära der Passagierluftschifffahrt fast augenblicklich und wurde zum Symbol einer technologischen Katastrophe.
summaryShort: Die Hindenburg-Katastrophe war ein Luftschiffunglück, das am 6. Mai 1937 in Manchester Township, New Jersey, Vereinigte Staaten, stattfand. Die LZ 129 Hindenburg war ein deutsches kommerzielles Passagierluftschiff mit starrem Gerüst, das Leitschiff der Hindenburg-Klasse, der längsten Klasse von Flugmaschinen und das größte Luftschiff nach Hüllvolumen.
summaryLong: Die Hindenburg-Katastrophe war ein Luftschiffunglück, das am 6. Mai 1937 in Manchester Township, New Jersey, Vereinigte Staaten, stattfand. Die LZ 129 Hindenburg war ein deutsches kommerzielles Passagierluftschiff mit starrem Gerüst, das Leitschiff der Hindenburg-Klasse, der längsten Klasse von Flugmaschinen und das größte Luftschiff nach Hüllvolumen. Mit Wasserstoff gefüllt, geriet es während des Anlegemanövers an seinen Ankermasten auf der Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Brand und wurde zerstört. Das Unglück forderte 35 Todesfälle unter den 97 Menschen an Bord und ein zusätzliches Todesopfer am Boden.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T19:58:54.781Z"
