Seventy-six years ago, on May 6, 1937, Nazi Germany's prized LZ-129 Hindenburg airship crashed and burned in Lakehurst, New Jersey, creating this iconic photo.
The disaster, which was caused by static electricity, claimed 36 lives and proved embarrassing for the Nazis, who used the ship as an example of their engineering skills and a propaganda machine.
But it had a more significant impact: The Hindenburg disaster led directly to the end of the era of the airship.
Named after German President Paul von Hindenburg, the airship was huge — three times the length a modern Boeing 747.
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For the Nazis, it was not just a feat of engineering, but a propaganda vehicle — the country had just begun to occupy the demilitarized Ruhr Valley when the ship made its debut in 1936.
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After just a few test flights, Nazi propaganda boss Dr. Joseph Goebbels ordered the airship to fly to every major German city to drop Nazi campaign pamphlets and to blare patriotic music.
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