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New evidence about the Hindenburg on NOVA

  • Fred Vigeant
FILE PHOTO: The German zeppelin Hindenburg bursts into flames as it noses toward the mooring post at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J. on May 6, 1937.  Thirty-five people on board and one ground crew member were killed.

 Murray Becker / AP Photo

FILE PHOTO: The German zeppelin Hindenburg bursts into flames as it noses toward the mooring post at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J. on May 6, 1937. Thirty-five people on board and one ground crew member were killed.

Watch Hindenburg: The New Evidence on NOVA Wednesday, May 19 at 9pm on WITF. You can stream WITF TV live on our website and through the PBS Video app on Roku, Apple TV and iPhone and Android smartphones. The program is also available on-demand through the PBS Video app.

 

On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg, the world’s largest airship, ignited in a giant fireball as it prepared to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey—a disaster immortalized by searing newsreel footage and Herbert Morrison’s unforgettable “Oh the humanity!” commentary.

The chain of events that ignited Hindenburg’s hydrogen remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. Theories range from deliberate sabotage to sparks generated by static electricity or stormy weather conditions.

Now, more than 80 years later, new footage has surfaced: an amateur 8mm film that shows the airship’s final seconds from a fresh angle and in unrivaled clarity.

Taking clues from the footage and other sources, a leading CalTech chemical engineer walks NOVA viewers through a novel set of experiments designed to test the likeliest scenarios that led to the Hindenburg’s ignition—some never tried before and others staged with a meticulous attention to authenticity.

The result is a gripping, authoritative new investigation of one of history’s most iconic disasters.

Watch this thrilling new episode of NOVA on WITF Wednesday May 19 at 9pm on WITF. You can also watch this and previous episodes of NOVA on the PBS Video App.

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