The explosion of the airship Hindenburg is one of the most famous aviation disasters in American history and signaled the end of the zeppelin era of flight. An Illinois radio reporter provided the only news broadcast of the moment.
Monday, May 6, marks the anniversary of the disaster, which is defined by the now-famous words, “Oh, the humanity,” uttered by Herbert Morrison, a 31-year-old reporter for WLS Radio in Chicago.
The startling description of the fiery crash at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, is considered part of the first recorded news event.
Morrison was the only broadcast reporter on the scene and had to talk his way there. By 1937, airship landings were not really news; the Hindenburg had made multiple trans-Atlantic flights, and its predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, had captured the imagination of the globe with its breathtaking success.
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Though smaller, the Graf Zeppelin was probably more famous than the Hindenburg. The Graf first flew in October 1928 and circled the world the following year amid great fanfare.
The ship went on to fly 136 times across the Atlantic to South America and traveled to the Arctic Circle on a scientific mission in July 1931. In 1933, a flyover by the Graf Zeppelin was a highlight at the Chicago World’s Fair.
However, the Lakehurst landing marked the one-year anniversary of the start of passenger service on the Hindenburg. Also, Morrison had persuaded WLS management to demonstrate new recording equipment, which was not accepted media practice. In most instances, events were either covered live by telephone or not at all.
After a delay of several hours due to inclement weather, the Hindenburg attempted to land at 7:25 p.m. before the massive explosion and fire that consumed the huge craft in only 30 seconds.
The pained words of Morrison have become synonymous with the Hindenburg disaster, although many believe that a technical flaw caused his voice to sound differently.
Analysts theorize that the recorder ran too slow and that replays have since run the tape too fast. As a result, Morrison, who actually had a deep voice, comes across with a higher pitch.
Reportedly, German officials attempted to seize Morrison’s recording equipment, but he managed to escape and fly back to Chicago. WLS played the recording by noon the following day, and NBC Radio aired it at 3 p.m. that afternoon.
Four newsreel photographers were on the scene, filming what had been expected to be a normal landing. In 2014, an amateur film, providing a rear view of the explosion, was broadcast publicly for the first time.
Many believe the disaster was caused by a sharp turn just before landing that may have caused a rupture near one of the hydrogen tanks. In addition, the electricity in the air from the stormy weather may have created a spark that ignited the explosion.
Hydrogen, a highly combustible gas, was used because the U.S., which controlled the world supply of non-flammable helium, balked at selling it to Germany with war clouds looming in Europe.
Much to the dismay of many, the top airships carried the Nazi insignia as the Third Reich rose to power, and were frequently used for propaganda.
The loss of the Hindenburg effectively ended the vaunted German zeppelin program. The beloved Graf Zeppelin, in flight from South America when news of the Hindenburg was received, landed in Germany two days later and never carried another fare passenger.
Morrison, a native of Scottdale, Pennsylvania, continued his career in media and later became the first news director of WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. A veteran of the Army Air Corps in World War II, he ran for Congress three times as a Republican from his native Pennsylvania in the 1950s. He died on Jan. 10, 1989.
• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.