The LZ 129, otherwise known as "The Hindenburg", was a passenger airship named for General Paul Von Hindenburg who had giving over 40-years of his life to the German Military. He had retired as a Field Marshal and died in August of 1934.

The Hindenburg made several trips across the Atlantic from Germany to America in the 1930s. It's last visit to America came on May 6, 1937 when, while arriving at Lakehurst, New Jersey, it exploding minutes before landing and burst into flames. The airship was carrying 97 people aboard, 36 passengers and 61 crew members. Of that number, 35 died in the disaster including one of the ground crew.

At 7:25 pm, as the Hindenburg was slowly approaching it's docking station, for an unexplained reason, the hugh flying machine suddenly exploded into a ball of fire. Many of the people who survived had jumped or fallen to the ground, a distance of around 100 feet. The Hindenburg had been filled with hydrogen, a highly flammable gas. It was supposed to be filled with helium but helium had been banned in Europe. Any small spark in the Hindenburg could have set it off.

Most of the dead had died in the fire, but several survived long enough to get to the hospital where they lost their fight to live. Some even lived for a few days.

The hindenburg tragedy has never been solved. No reason for the explosion has been reached. There are those who believe it was an act of sabotage, even a movie, "The Hindenburg" starring George C. Scott told the story of sabotage. But it was never proven.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of that tragic day in our history.