Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster.
The German zeppelin was coming in to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey when it exploded into flames. Hours afterward, an official announcement listed as having survived 24
of 39 passengers aboard and 42 out of the 61 members of the crew, thus
leaving a total of 34 presumed dead. The intense heat from burning hydrogen left most of the dead and injured severely burned, many beyond recognition.
The fact that the arrival was being broadcast live on the radio probably had a lot to do with the crash becoming one of the most famous in history and effectively put an end to commercial blimps as a means of transportation.
In terms of the severity of the disaster, it doesn't even come close to being the worst. The top ten leads off with 9-11 and its 3000 plus casualties, and the worst single-plane disaster was a Japan Airlines 747 that suffered a sudden decompression in August of 1985 and crashed killing all 520 aboard.
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