Before commercial airplanes became a common form of travel, giant airships were a popular mode of long distance transportation for those who could afford it. But airships could be quite dangerous. In an instant, they could explode or catch fire. Explore what happened when the Hindenburg ignited and became a flaming fireball in the sky. Could anyone survive such a horrific disaster?

When it went down in flames, the Hindenburg went down in history. The era of airship travel ended with a disastrous explosion May 6, 1937. Sam Shere's photo of the Hindenburg in flames has been called the most famous news photograph ever taken. The entire episode from first flash to destruction took less than a minute. It happened so fast that Shere, who could feel the heat of the burning airship, had no time to raise his camera to his eye. His famous photo, which was the first ever to sho...

At 800-feet long, the Hindenburg was the largest airship ever built--just slightly smaller than the Titanic! Also of a disastrous end, the zeppelin burst into flame as spectators watched it attempt to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937. In under a minute, the Hindenburg was gone, people jumping from windows to escape. However, only 62 of the 97 crew members and passengers onboard survived. The exact cause of the disaster is still unknown and remains a fascinating historical myste...