MR

http://now.msn.com/hindenburg-disaster- ... lectricity

Talk about a cold case. More than 75 years after the famous Hindenburg passenger airship exploded into a ball of fire over a Navy air station, scientists have finally figured out what went wrong, by blowing up scale models of the blimp. They say static electricity was the dirty culprit in the 1937 disaster that killed 35 people and permanently crumbled the era of passenger zeppelins. After the Hindenburg hit a thunderstorm, it became charged with static, and a broken wire or a stuck gas valve leaked hydrogen into the ventilation shafts. When crews on the ground ran to take the landing ropes they "grounded" the craft, causing a spark and igniting the built-up hydrogen.

bullshit

I always thought it was caused by some moron onboard showing off by lighting off their fart.

Common people, the thing was full of highly combustible hydrogen gas. That's like filling party balloons up with natural gas and then being completely surprised when they ignite from the flames of a birthday cake.

Don wrote:http://now.msn.com/hindenburg-disaster-explained-by-static-electricity

Talk about a cold case. More than 75 years after the famous Hindenburg passenger airship exploded into a ball of fire over a Navy air station, scientists have finally figured out what went wrong, by blowing up scale models of the blimp. They say static electricity was the dirty culprit in the 1937 disaster that killed 35 people and permanently crumbled the era of passenger zeppelins. After the Hindenburg hit a thunderstorm, it became charged with static, and a broken wire or a stuck gas valve leaked hydrogen into the ventilation shafts. When crews on the ground ran to take the landing ropes they "grounded" the craft, causing a spark and igniting the built-up hydrogen.

I don't see what the big mystery is. Have balloon, will pop!

I'm confused.... Isn't that what they thought the cause was all along? That's what I remember reading/learning via documentaries and books over the years.

JRNYMAN wrote:I'm confused.... Isn't that what they thought the cause was all along? That's what I remember reading/learning via documentaries and books over the years.

Yes that has been the theory ALL ALONG. I guess they needed to waste a few more dollars to figure out HELLO OBVIOUS! Not saying I don't feel for the situation, but whoever thought riding in one of those things was a good idea?

What's more amazing is only 30 some odd people were killed in all. From how it's been kept in the news for 75 years, you'd think it were hundreds or over a thoussand like the Titanic or something. Interesting how they've not made a movie about this blimp like they did the Titanic, over and over and over and over and over and over again, each time adding a new "love story" to it.

The Sushi Hunter wrote:What's more amazing is only 30 some odd people were killed in all. From how it's been kept in the news for 75 years, you'd think it were hundreds or over a thoussand like the Titanic or something. Interesting how they've not made a movie about this blimp like they did the Titanic, over and over and over and over and over and over again, each time adding a new "love story" to it.

What's even more surprising is the fact that the original movie, "The Hindenburg" which came out in 1975 with George C. Scott and Ann Bancroft was a compendium of the facts which were used as merely a loose foundation to write the mostly fictitious storyline around - including the zeppelin's demise which was due to sabotage in the movie. I agree, it does in fact seem like one of those historical events which society has kept at the forefront of all things historically epic which Hollywood usually sees as a money machine. Interesting that they have settled on the 1975 film as being the definitive screenplay about the event.

As for the reasons why it has been kept in the media all these years, it was the original "caught on film" disaster - the first event of its kind to be covered by a news crew, as it happened. And the WLS radio reporter's commentary, "Oh, the humanity..." still haunts to this day.

You can see people running out of it. That thing went up quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

Rick wrote:You can see people running out of it. That thing went up quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

There have been stories over the years about some of the components that made up the silver skin are the ingredients for Thermite and that's why it burned so quickly - not only the skin but the metal structure as well. The story goes on to state that its sister ship the LZ-129 was quietly taken out of service and re-skinned after the disaster.

JRNYMAN wrote:

Rick wrote:You can see people running out of it. That thing went up quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

There have been stories over the years about some of the components that made up the silver skin are the ingredients for Thermite and that's why it burned so quickly - not only the skin but the metal structure as well. The story goes on to state that its sister ship the LZ-129 was quietly taken out of service and re-skinned after the disaster.

It's kind of amazing that they would put such a dangerous combination of combustibles together for a passenger ship.

Before the disaster, it was kind of cool to see the New Jersey skyline back in those days. I could see a nice 4 lane highway with a bridge over a river. They had it going on back then, I think.

Speaking of caught on film disaster, here's one and many more people died on it. Watch this clip and you can see all these little things that look like ants streaming off the hull of the ship into the water, those are people running off the boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdrISbwy_zI

The Titanic disaster wasn't caught on film yet it's been the biggest money making disaster that I can think of.

The Sushi Hunter wrote:Speaking of caught on film disaster, here's one and many more people died on it. Watch this clip and you can see all these little things that look like ants streaming off the hull of the ship into the water, those are people running off the boat.

That was a pretty impressive explosion in terms of how powerful it was. At the very beginning of the explosion (within the first second) you see the entire port side from midship to aft peel and fold forward. That took some serious force! But then again, it was a battleship which holds a lot of munitions....

The Sushi Hunter wrote:The Titanic disaster wasn't caught on film yet it's been the biggest money making disaster that I can think of.

Unquestionably the biggest money maker of any disaster ever! Its theater run alone surpassed everything ever released prior - something like 19 months! ET was the closest at just over 12 months but when it came out, the mega-multi-plex wasn't the norm yet. It played at mostly single and double screen venues. Over 1/3 of the US population saw Titanic its opening weekend in the US alone! When you look at the box office and rental sales figures for it, the numbers are almost surreal - and I mean that literally. NOTHING begins to come close to the money that movie has generated. Nothing!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/bus ... =tt_dt_bus
But again, it was the first of its kind - and - there was so much awareness of the ship and all its glory via the hype publicized globally prior to its sinking which made its story even that much more intriguing. add to that the list of names who represented power and wealth and the hundreds of unnecessary lives lost due to lifeboats partially filled. Yeah, that disaster has so many elements that all compound it into a fascinating albeit tragic story.

I'm waiting for a Titanic movie to come out about a love story between a gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, transvestites etc. couple trapped on the fucking ship when the disaster strikes. I can just see it now:

Rainbow pictures presents......

JRNYMAN wrote:

Rick wrote:You can see people running out of it. That thing went up quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

There have been stories over the years about some of the components that made up the silver skin are the ingredients for Thermite and that's why it burned so quickly - not only the skin but the metal structure as well. The story goes on to state that its sister ship the LZ-129 was quietly taken out of service and re-skinned after the disaster.

Mythbusters did an episode on this and busted the Thermite theory. It was the hydrogen gas, not the paint.

Tho burning it with pure thermite does look pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQ6xvjvvE0

Monker wrote:

JRNYMAN wrote:

Rick wrote:You can see people running out of it. That thing went up quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

There have been stories over the years about some of the components that made up the silver skin are the ingredients for Thermite and that's why it burned so quickly - not only the skin but the metal structure as well. The story goes on to state that its sister ship the LZ-129 was quietly taken out of service and re-skinned after the disaster.

Mythbusters did an episode on this and busted the Thermite theory. It was the hydrogen gas, not the paint.

Tho burning it with pure thermite does look pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQ6xvjvvE0

{{Spoken like Butthead...}} Uh...huh huh... that was cool!!

Thanks for the accurate info! I didn't know Jamie and Adam had busted that particular legend/myth. One thing you can always count on from that crew is at the end of the day, somethin's gonna get blown up!