What It Was Like Traveling On The Hindenburg

When you watch the footage of the Hindenburg disaster, it's unfathomable to think that anybody survived. However, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine, of the 97 passengers and crew members on board that day, 62 lived.

According to the Associated Press, Werner Doehner was just eight years old at the time, and as he recalled in 2017, "Suddenly the air was on fire." His mother threw him out the window to the ground below. In the resulting chaos, Doehner, his brother, and his mother all managed to escape, but Doehner's father and sister both died in the fire. Doehner would spend three months in a New York City hospital recovering from the burns he received to his face, legs, and hands, which required skin grafts.

Today, scientists and researchers continue to debate what ultimately caused the Hindenburg to burst into flames and crash (via Smithsonian Magazine). Most scientists agree that highly flammable hydrogen, mixing with oxygen, provided the perfect "gasoline" for the fire. But they've come to slightly different conclusions about what caused the spark that devoured the dirigible in 34 seconds. One of the most outspoken researchers is Addison Bain, a NASA rocket fuel expert. According to Florida Today, Bain hypothesizes the zeppelin's butyl-based paint coating may have failed to dissipate the buildup of electrical charges outside of the airship. The result? A monster-sized accumulation of deadly static electricity that ignited the cover and then the hydrogen inside.

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