Why Did The Hindenburg Crash

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Germany successfully spread propaganda across the country during World War II by using the Hindenburg. As a rigid airship, it was known across the country as a symbol of German pride. Hitler was quickly grasping power and taking control of Europe. On the tragic day of May 6th, 1937 the famous German airship plundered to its death. As one of the world’s most influential airships, the Hindenburg’s disaster was heard around the world and brought forth a drastic end to the rigid airship era. The Hindenburg was a massive German commercial airship that flew around between continents instilling German pride. As one of the world’s greatest Zeppelins, the Hindenburg was manufactured by the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company. The company was founded…show more content…
The Hindenburg was engineered to have a duralumin structure. The girders were made of aluminum that had been precipitation hardened. The precipitation hardened aluminum is one of the best duralumin materials used to create the structure. The fire that engulfed the airship was estimated to reach a temperature of three thousand seven hundred and thirteen degrees Fahrenheit which is well over the melting point of the girders. The outer layer of the Hindenburg was cotton “with a mixture of reflective materials” (The UnMuseum) that were designed to protect the interior gas cells from radiations and various weather conditions. Each gas cell was made using “gelatinized latex” (The Hindenburg Disaster and the End) which was developed by Goodyear. The new skin was supposed to be a rip resistant material that would prevent electrical sparks. There were sixteen gas cells which in total could hold up to seven million sixty two thousand one hundred cubic feet of gas. On the earlier zeppelins, the outer layer of material was made from “goldbeater’s skin” (The Graf Zeppelin) which is the outer membrane of cow intestines. The new material was supposed to be a lot safer especially since the Hindenburg was going to be filled with hydrogen instead of…show more content…
The Hindenburg was initially designed to be used for commercial transatlantic passengers, air freight and mail services. As a massive airship, it became a worldwide symbol of Nazi propaganda due to its appearance in the 1936 Berlin Games and at the Nuremberg Party Rally. The zeppelin was first used by the air ministry as a way to deliver a great magnitude of propaganda. Hitler wanted to “spread the ideals of National Socialism” (Nazi Propaganda). Before the Hindenburg was built, Hitler established the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. “The Ministry's aim was to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press” (Nazi Propaganda). At one point the vessel was even used to justify Germany’s remilitarization of the Rhineland during the ongoing conflicts. Although the Hindenburg was mainly used for the spread of propaganda, it was also used to transport people across the Atlantic Ocean. The cost was often very expensive, sometimes over four hundred dollars, so many of its guests were prosperous people such as public figures and entertainers. Only seventeen round trips were made across the Atlantic Ocean before its crash. Ten of the trips were made to the United States and seven were made to Brazil. Each flight of the Hindenburg spread the Nazi

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