1 00:00:01,766 --> 00:00:04,466 ♪ 2 00:00:05,533 --> 00:00:07,333 ♪ 3 00:00:07,366 --> 00:00:09,200 NARRATOR: The airship Hindenburg. 4 00:00:09,233 --> 00:00:14,566 {\an1}In 1937, the fastest way to cross the Atlantic. 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,109 {\an1}There was no other aircraft at the time 6 00:00:16,133 --> 00:00:18,000 {\an1}that could do this type of distance. 7 00:00:18,033 --> 00:00:19,366 {\an1}For the few who could afford 8 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:20,842 an airship trip, the image is one of prestige. 9 00:00:20,866 --> 00:00:25,333 NARRATOR: Prestige also for the country that built it. 10 00:00:25,366 --> 00:00:27,600 {\an1}The German government used Hindenburg 11 00:00:27,633 --> 00:00:29,733 {\an1}as a propaganda symbol. 12 00:00:29,766 --> 00:00:32,133 NARRATOR: A revolutionary vision of connecting the world 13 00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:34,600 {\an1}with a fleet of airships. 14 00:00:34,633 --> 00:00:36,400 RICK ZITAROSA: They were looking to have 15 00:00:36,433 --> 00:00:38,400 {\an1}40 to 50 airships 16 00:00:38,433 --> 00:00:42,066 {\an1}linking the cities of the globe by 1945. 17 00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:44,200 NARRATOR: Then, disaster. 18 00:00:44,233 --> 00:00:48,366 36 lives lost in a horrifying instant, 19 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,566 {\an1}an entire industry essentially destroyed, 20 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,533 {\an1}the precise cause never conclusively proven. 21 00:00:55,566 --> 00:00:58,066 {\an1}Now, after more than 80 years, 22 00:00:58,100 --> 00:00:59,566 new evidence. 23 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:00,933 Whoa, yeah. 24 00:01:00,966 --> 00:01:02,600 No, I've never seen this material. 25 00:01:02,633 --> 00:01:05,500 NARRATOR: And a new investigation. 26 00:01:05,533 --> 00:01:06,809 {\an1}That's the upwind pattern that it was flying 27 00:01:06,833 --> 00:01:08,333 {\an1}as it's coming overhead the hangar, 28 00:01:08,366 --> 00:01:09,606 {\an1}before it did its initial turn. 29 00:01:09,633 --> 00:01:11,966 {\an1}And you believe that the film was shot 30 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,500 {\an1}with this exact camera? Yes, I do. 31 00:01:13,533 --> 00:01:16,266 NARRATOR: Can we still find answers? 32 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:18,109 {\an1}KONSTANTINOS GIAPIS: Initially, I thought it was going to be relatively simple. 33 00:01:18,133 --> 00:01:20,000 (loud sparking) Whoa! 34 00:01:20,033 --> 00:01:21,266 {\an1}But very quickly, I realized 35 00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:23,400 {\an1}that there were a lot of unanswered questions. 36 00:01:23,433 --> 00:01:24,933 {\an1}What is going on right now? 37 00:01:24,966 --> 00:01:27,866 JASON HARRIS: If one thing had been different on that day, 38 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:30,433 {\an1}we wouldn't have had the same outcome. 39 00:01:30,466 --> 00:01:35,533 NARRATOR: "Hindenburg: The New Evidence," right now, on "NOVA." 40 00:01:35,566 --> 00:01:40,233 ♪ 41 00:01:56,866 --> 00:01:59,433 {\an8}♪ 42 00:01:59,466 --> 00:02:01,766 NARRATOR: In a nondescript building 43 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,866 {\an1}in a Washington, D.C., suburb, 44 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:07,500 {\an1}an investigation begins. 45 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:12,066 {\an1}The focus is a cold case over 80 years old 46 00:02:12,100 --> 00:02:16,133 {\an1}that was never definitively solved. 47 00:02:16,166 --> 00:02:18,366 {\an1}An aviation accident. 48 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:25,000 {\an1}The legendary crash of the airship Hindenburg. 49 00:02:25,033 --> 00:02:27,442 {\an1}HERBERT MORRISON (archival): It's burst into flames... and it's crashing. 50 00:02:27,466 --> 00:02:29,266 {\an1}It's crashing, terrible. 51 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:31,766 {\an1}Oh, my, get out of the way, please, it's burning, 52 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,409 {\an1}bursting into flames, and, and it's falling 53 00:02:33,433 --> 00:02:36,033 {\an1}on the mooring mast... oh, the humanity! 54 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,433 ♪ 55 00:02:40,466 --> 00:02:41,633 NARRATOR: Hindenburg. 56 00:02:41,666 --> 00:02:46,500 {\an8}Like Titanic, synonymous with disaster. 57 00:02:46,533 --> 00:02:51,333 {\an7}The images seen countless times by millions. 58 00:02:51,366 --> 00:02:54,866 {\an7}Despite two investigations of the accident, 59 00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:58,233 {\an7}the precise cause... The exact chain of events... 60 00:02:58,266 --> 00:03:01,100 {\an1}remains a mystery. 61 00:03:01,133 --> 00:03:03,666 But now, after more than 80 years, 62 00:03:03,700 --> 00:03:05,933 {\an1}there is new evidence. 63 00:03:07,633 --> 00:03:09,900 This film. 64 00:03:09,933 --> 00:03:13,300 {\an1}Never seen by investigators in 1937, 65 00:03:13,333 --> 00:03:16,400 {\an1}it has remained essentially unknown. 66 00:03:16,433 --> 00:03:19,666 {\an1}Now, decades after the tragedy, 67 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,333 {\an1}can this film shed new light 68 00:03:22,366 --> 00:03:26,600 {\an1}on one of the most notorious aviation accidents in history? 69 00:03:26,633 --> 00:03:30,600 {\an1}Might it hold a clue to the cause of the disaster? 70 00:03:30,633 --> 00:03:32,966 {\an1}This right here where we're standing right now 71 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:34,742 {\an1}is the actual crash site, so you can sort of see 72 00:03:34,766 --> 00:03:36,433 {\an5}where we are in relation to it. Got it. 73 00:03:36,466 --> 00:03:38,466 NARRATOR: These men hope so. 74 00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:40,800 {\an1}The discovery of this long-lost film 75 00:03:40,833 --> 00:03:45,400 {\an1}has prompted them to begin a new investigation of Hindenburg. 76 00:03:45,433 --> 00:03:46,900 ♪ 77 00:03:46,933 --> 00:03:49,366 {\an1}Lieutenant Colonel Jason O. Harris, 78 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,633 {\an1}an Air Force Academy graduate, flew multiple combat tours 79 00:03:53,666 --> 00:03:57,133 {\an1}and has training in accident investigation. 80 00:03:57,166 --> 00:04:00,033 {\an1}Today, he's a commercial airline pilot. 81 00:04:00,066 --> 00:04:02,400 {\an7}When we look at aircraft accidents, 82 00:04:02,433 --> 00:04:05,133 {\an7}whether it's an airship or an airplane or even a helicopter, 83 00:04:05,166 --> 00:04:08,300 {\an1}you want to establish a chain of events. 84 00:04:08,333 --> 00:04:10,566 {\an1}When we evaluate it, we get to see 85 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,433 {\an1}exactly where things begin to break down. 86 00:04:13,466 --> 00:04:15,500 {\an1}And they were going to fly 87 00:04:15,533 --> 00:04:18,366 {\an1}basically toward the hangar in this direction... 88 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:20,400 NARRATOR: Harris's colleague in this investigation 89 00:04:20,433 --> 00:04:24,266 {\an1}is aviation historian Dan Grossman. 90 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:25,933 {\an1}A bestselling author 91 00:04:25,966 --> 00:04:28,400 {\an1}and world-renowned authority on airships, 92 00:04:28,433 --> 00:04:31,433 {\an1}Grossman has extensive knowledge of Hindenburg 93 00:04:31,466 --> 00:04:35,200 {\an1}and the 1937 investigations. 94 00:04:35,233 --> 00:04:37,700 {\an7}No one's ever taken a fresh look 95 00:04:37,733 --> 00:04:41,533 {\an7}at the expert conclusions, either based on testing 96 00:04:41,566 --> 00:04:43,276 {\an7}or based on the experience of these experts, 97 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:45,233 {\an7}and it's time to do that. 98 00:04:45,266 --> 00:04:48,933 {\an8}NARRATOR: So, inspired by a newly found reel of film, 99 00:04:48,966 --> 00:04:51,566 {\an7}Dan Grossman and Jason Harris 100 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,266 {\an7}are re-examining the case of the Hindenburg. 101 00:04:54,300 --> 00:04:56,266 {\an7}They'll work with specialists 102 00:04:56,300 --> 00:04:58,466 {\an7}who have expert knowledge 103 00:04:58,500 --> 00:04:59,809 {\an7}about vintage motion picture film, 104 00:04:59,833 --> 00:05:01,466 {\an7}travel to Germany 105 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:03,500 {\an7}to examine evidence 106 00:05:03,533 --> 00:05:04,866 {\an7}where the airship was built, 107 00:05:04,900 --> 00:05:09,666 {\an7}and observe specially designed engineering tests 108 00:05:09,700 --> 00:05:11,100 {\an7}to see if anything new 109 00:05:11,133 --> 00:05:12,376 {\an7}can be learned about Hindenburg. 110 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,933 {\an8}♪ 111 00:05:19,766 --> 00:05:22,966 {\an1}It's May 3, 1937, when the airship takes off 112 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,466 {\an1}with 36 passengers 113 00:05:25,500 --> 00:05:27,433 {\an1}and 61 crew members. 114 00:05:27,466 --> 00:05:30,300 GROSSMAN: The ship left Germany on May 3, 115 00:05:30,333 --> 00:05:31,966 {\an1}intending to arrive at Lakehurst 116 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,866 {\an1}early in the morning, about 6:00 a.m., on May 6. 117 00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:37,766 NARRATOR: Lakehurst, New Jersey, 118 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,266 {\an1}is a U.S. Naval Air Station 119 00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:43,700 {\an1}and hub with connections to New York. 120 00:05:43,733 --> 00:05:45,700 At Lakehurst, Hindenburg will be serviced 121 00:05:45,733 --> 00:05:47,233 {\an1}for the return to Europe. 122 00:05:47,266 --> 00:05:49,433 GROSSMAN: They were hoping to have a day 123 00:05:49,466 --> 00:05:52,400 {\an1}to turn the ship around, refuel, replenish. 124 00:05:52,433 --> 00:05:54,142 {\an1}And they were planning on leaving that evening 125 00:05:54,166 --> 00:05:56,966 {\an1}with a full load of passengers back to Germany. 126 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,200 NARRATOR: Settling in for a comfortable and scenic 127 00:06:00,233 --> 00:06:01,766 {\an1}two-and-a-half-day trip, 128 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:06,166 {\an1}the 97 people onboard are probably feeling quite safe. 129 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:08,400 {\an1}In over 25 years of service, 130 00:06:08,433 --> 00:06:12,366 {\an1}no Zeppelin passenger airship has ever 131 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,033 {\an1}had a fatal accident. 132 00:06:15,066 --> 00:06:17,800 {\an1}And yet right over their heads lurks potential danger. 133 00:06:17,833 --> 00:06:23,000 {\an1}What lifts Hindenburg into the air is hydrogen gas. 134 00:06:23,033 --> 00:06:28,300 {\an1}Seven million cubic feet of it are stored in 16 gas cells, 135 00:06:28,333 --> 00:06:32,033 {\an1}giant bags that fill the ship from end to end. 136 00:06:32,066 --> 00:06:34,966 {\an1}Hydrogen is the lightest element on the periodic table. 137 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,300 {\an1}Because it's lighter than air, it's buoyant. 138 00:06:38,333 --> 00:06:40,233 {\an1}It will go up if surrounded by air. 139 00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:45,300 {\an8}NARRATOR: But mixed with air, it's also extremely flammable, 140 00:06:45,333 --> 00:06:47,200 {\an7}a bomb waiting to explode. 141 00:06:48,733 --> 00:06:53,133 {\an8}GROSSMAN: Everyone knew that hydrogen burned, and it burned furiously. 142 00:06:53,166 --> 00:06:57,366 {\an1}But the Germans had the feeling, this overconfidence, 143 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,166 {\an1}that after 37 years of working with hydrogen, 144 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:05,033 {\an1}"We got this, we know how to deal with hydrogen safely." 145 00:07:05,066 --> 00:07:08,033 {\an8}♪ 146 00:07:08,066 --> 00:07:11,166 NARRATOR: It's 1909 147 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,166 {\an1}when the German Zeppelin company 148 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,500 {\an1}starts the world's first passenger airline. 149 00:07:16,533 --> 00:07:18,000 {\an1}Two decades later, 150 00:07:18,033 --> 00:07:20,400 {\an1}just after Charles Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic, 151 00:07:20,433 --> 00:07:23,366 {\an1}their airship Graf Zeppelin 152 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,600 {\an1}makes an international publicity flight. 153 00:07:26,633 --> 00:07:28,400 ZITAROSA: In 1929, 154 00:07:28,433 --> 00:07:31,566 {\an7}the Hindenburg's predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, 155 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:33,733 {\an1}flew from Germany here to Lakehurst 156 00:07:33,766 --> 00:07:35,700 {\an1}with paying passengers, 157 00:07:35,733 --> 00:07:39,766 {\an1}and then did a circumnavigation of the globe. 158 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,500 {\an1}Their idea, their vision, was that they were going to have 159 00:07:42,533 --> 00:07:45,500 {\an7}a fleet of these ships crossing weekly in the same way 160 00:07:45,533 --> 00:07:47,542 {\an7}that there was a fleet of ocean liners that crossed weekly. 161 00:07:47,566 --> 00:07:52,366 NARRATOR: Over the next several years, the Graf Zeppelin 162 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,966 {\an1}carries thousands of passengers 163 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,733 {\an1}without a single mishap, and proves the concept. 164 00:07:57,766 --> 00:08:00,266 The next step: expand to the U.S. 165 00:08:00,300 --> 00:08:02,233 {\an1}They had already established service 166 00:08:02,266 --> 00:08:04,366 {\an1}with the Graf Zeppelin to South America. 167 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,633 {\an1}It was a tremendous public relations 168 00:08:07,666 --> 00:08:10,300 {\an1}and investment opportunity 169 00:08:10,333 --> 00:08:12,500 {\an1}for German airship interests. 170 00:08:12,533 --> 00:08:17,233 NARRATOR: All they need now is more and bigger ships. 171 00:08:17,266 --> 00:08:20,400 {\an1}The Hindenburg will be the first of the new model. 172 00:08:20,433 --> 00:08:22,066 ♪ 173 00:08:22,100 --> 00:08:25,633 {\an1}It's over three times longer than a 747, 174 00:08:25,666 --> 00:08:29,133 {\an1}constructed around a lightweight aluminum frame. 175 00:08:29,166 --> 00:08:31,966 {\an1}Hindenburg basically was a metal framework 176 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,466 that was kind of an engineering miracle 177 00:08:34,500 --> 00:08:37,166 {\an1}in that it had to be very big, it had to be very strong, 178 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,866 {\an1}and it had to be very, very light. 179 00:08:39,900 --> 00:08:43,933 NARRATOR: Outside the frame, a painted fabric skin. 180 00:08:43,966 --> 00:08:45,866 GROSSMAN: The fabric covering was there 181 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:48,700 {\an1}to give it an aerodynamic shape 182 00:08:48,733 --> 00:08:51,566 {\an1}and to protect the gas cells that were inside the covering. 183 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,233 NARRATOR: Two diesel engines on each side propel the ship 184 00:08:55,266 --> 00:08:56,900 through the air. 185 00:08:56,933 --> 00:09:02,066 {\an1}A rudder steers it left and right; elevators up and down. 186 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:04,166 {\an1}The crew controls the ship from a small car 187 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,333 {\an1}mounted to the underside. 188 00:09:06,366 --> 00:09:08,600 {\an1}Above the control car, 189 00:09:08,633 --> 00:09:12,633 {\an1}inside the skin and beneath the gas cells, are two decks. 190 00:09:12,666 --> 00:09:15,800 {\an1}The lower holds a few passenger cabins, kitchen, 191 00:09:15,833 --> 00:09:17,366 {\an1}and crew's quarters. 192 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,566 The upper, 25 double-berth cabins, 193 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,066 {\an1}a lounge, writing room, 194 00:09:22,100 --> 00:09:24,700 {\an1}dining room, and promenades. 195 00:09:24,733 --> 00:09:29,866 {\an1}It was definitely a, a rich person's luxury way of travel, 196 00:09:29,900 --> 00:09:34,200 {\an1}sailing above the great sights of ocean and Earth 197 00:09:34,233 --> 00:09:35,900 {\an1}with glasses of wine in their hand, 198 00:09:35,933 --> 00:09:38,366 {\an1}eating gourmet meals, looking down. 199 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,966 NARRATOR: And it's fast. 200 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:42,800 GROSSMAN: You could cross the Atlantic 201 00:09:42,833 --> 00:09:44,700 {\an1}in two-and-a-half days on Hindenburg. 202 00:09:44,733 --> 00:09:46,542 {\an1}It took you five to six days on an ocean liner. 203 00:09:46,566 --> 00:09:49,733 ZITAROSA: The Hindenburg was the Concorde of its day. 204 00:09:49,766 --> 00:09:52,233 {\an1}It was a premium-priced service 205 00:09:52,266 --> 00:09:56,266 {\an1}particularly popular with American businessmen 206 00:09:56,300 --> 00:09:57,376 {\an1}who were always in a hurry. 207 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,166 NARRATOR: Starting in 1936, 208 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,533 the Hindenburg makes propaganda flights 209 00:10:02,566 --> 00:10:04,733 {\an1}for Germany's Nazi government 210 00:10:04,766 --> 00:10:07,933 {\an1}at Nuremberg rallies and the Berlin Olympics. 211 00:10:07,966 --> 00:10:10,166 That year, 212 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,866 the ship crosses the Atlantic 34 times. 213 00:10:13,900 --> 00:10:17,066 {\an1}Hindenburg has carried over a thousand passengers 214 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:19,433 {\an1}without a single mishap. 215 00:10:19,466 --> 00:10:21,366 The 1936 service 216 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,700 {\an1}was a testing period to see if this thing 217 00:10:23,733 --> 00:10:24,733 {\an1}could be made to work. 218 00:10:24,766 --> 00:10:28,033 {\an1}And it worked very successfully. 219 00:10:28,066 --> 00:10:30,333 NARRATOR: For the 1937 season, 220 00:10:30,366 --> 00:10:32,733 {\an1}there is one overriding priority. 221 00:10:32,766 --> 00:10:34,033 ZITAROSA: The key in the mind 222 00:10:34,066 --> 00:10:37,733 {\an1}of the Germans was to now tighten up the schedule 223 00:10:37,766 --> 00:10:40,566 {\an1}and make for more prompt arrivals and departures. 224 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,566 NARRATOR: But on the very first flight, the schedule slips. 225 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,133 {\an1}The first problem is bad weather all the way across, 226 00:10:48,166 --> 00:10:50,433 {\an1}which delays them. 227 00:10:50,466 --> 00:10:52,333 GROSSMAN: And so the ship was about 12 hours 228 00:10:52,366 --> 00:10:53,666 behind schedule. 229 00:10:53,700 --> 00:10:56,466 ZITAROSA: They arrive over Manhattan 230 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:58,533 that afternoon 231 00:10:58,566 --> 00:11:01,333 {\an7}and they head directly to Lakehurst. 232 00:11:01,366 --> 00:11:03,200 {\an1}Lakehurst cannot receive them, 233 00:11:03,233 --> 00:11:06,333 {\an1}and the weather conditions are unsettled. 234 00:11:06,366 --> 00:11:07,466 {\an1}There were thunderstorms. 235 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:08,566 (thunder claps) 236 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,200 HARRIS: You're trying to get this airship 237 00:11:10,233 --> 00:11:11,266 on the ground, 238 00:11:11,300 --> 00:11:12,800 {\an1}you're now under a lot more stress 239 00:11:12,833 --> 00:11:14,466 {\an1}than you ordinarily would be. 240 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:19,733 NARRATOR: Hindenburg circles over New Jersey in a holding pattern, 241 00:11:19,766 --> 00:11:22,366 {\an1}waiting for Charles Rosendahl, commander at Lakehurst, 242 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:23,900 {\an1}to approve landing. 243 00:11:23,933 --> 00:11:25,566 {\an1}As 7:00 is approaching, 244 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,766 {\an1}Commander Rosendahl signals that conditions now suitable 245 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,866 for landing, recommend landing now. 246 00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:35,466 NARRATOR: The ship begins its final approach. 247 00:11:35,500 --> 00:11:38,400 ZITAROSA: The Hindenburg makes a wide circle of the field 248 00:11:38,433 --> 00:11:40,233 {\an1}and approaches from the north. 249 00:11:40,266 --> 00:11:42,742 {\an1}MORRISON (archival): Well, here it comes, ladies and gentlemen, we're out now, 250 00:11:42,766 --> 00:11:44,233 {\an1}outside of the hangar... 251 00:11:44,266 --> 00:11:47,300 NARRATOR: Reporter Herbert Morrison is recording a description 252 00:11:47,333 --> 00:11:51,033 {\an1}of Hindenburg's arrival for later broadcast on radio. 253 00:11:51,066 --> 00:11:53,266 MORRISON: Thousands of people have come out to witness 254 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:55,733 {\an1}the landing of this great airship. 255 00:11:55,766 --> 00:11:58,633 {\an1}The barometer is dropping, the wind is shifting. 256 00:11:58,666 --> 00:11:59,933 (wind blowing) 257 00:11:59,966 --> 00:12:02,533 GROSSMAN: It made a turn to realign so its nose 258 00:12:02,566 --> 00:12:03,666 {\an1}was pointing into the wind. 259 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:07,666 {\an1}They dropped two lines, called trail lines. 260 00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:09,766 NARRATOR: The lines let the ground crew 261 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,066 {\an1}pull the ship into position and secure it. 262 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:14,866 {\an1}In subsequent investigations, 263 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:18,033 {\an1}these ropes will come under intense scrutiny. 264 00:12:18,066 --> 00:12:22,266 {\an1}Roughly four minutes after dropping these landing lines, 265 00:12:22,300 --> 00:12:23,400 fire erupted. 266 00:12:23,433 --> 00:12:29,466 {\an1}(flames billowing, panicked voices) 267 00:12:29,500 --> 00:12:32,966 ♪ 268 00:12:40,633 --> 00:12:43,766 (screams) 269 00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:50,833 ♪ 270 00:12:50,866 --> 00:12:52,666 {\an8}NARRATOR: In less than a minute, 271 00:12:52,700 --> 00:12:56,066 {\an7}there's nothing left but smoking wreckage. 272 00:12:56,100 --> 00:13:02,133 {\an7}Of the 97 passengers and crew, 35 are dead, 273 00:13:02,166 --> 00:13:05,466 {\an1}plus one ground crewman. 274 00:13:05,500 --> 00:13:10,600 {\an7}(speaking German): 275 00:13:25,033 --> 00:13:28,400 {\an8}NARRATOR: What happened? 276 00:13:28,433 --> 00:13:31,433 {\an7}Even before any investigation starts, 277 00:13:31,466 --> 00:13:35,066 {\an7}Hindenburg's commander, Max Pruss, 278 00:13:35,100 --> 00:13:37,766 {\an7}says what many are thinking. 279 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,766 {\an7}My grandfather was in charge as a captain 280 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,333 {\an7}on the Hindenburg flight, 281 00:13:42,366 --> 00:13:44,433 {\an1}and he made no secret 282 00:13:44,466 --> 00:13:46,766 of his opinion that it was sabotage. 283 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,700 {\an1}That someone must have placed a bomb somewhere. 284 00:13:49,733 --> 00:13:53,633 NARRATOR: Pruss's boss, Ernst Lehmann, agrees. 285 00:13:53,666 --> 00:13:56,066 {\an1}It had to be sabotage. 286 00:13:56,100 --> 00:13:58,633 {\an1}If you're one of the German officers who made the decisions 287 00:13:58,666 --> 00:14:00,466 {\an1}that lead to that public destruction 288 00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,833 {\an1}of this symbol of Nazi power, 289 00:14:02,866 --> 00:14:05,066 {\an1}you're going to be very careful about what you say. 290 00:14:05,100 --> 00:14:07,600 {\an7}Lehmann had been mortally injured. 291 00:14:07,633 --> 00:14:09,266 {\an7}He died within 24 hours. 292 00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:12,533 {\an1}He reportedly said on his deathbed that he thought 293 00:14:12,566 --> 00:14:14,000 {\an1}it must have been sabotage, 294 00:14:14,033 --> 00:14:16,133 {\an1}that it could not have been something else. 295 00:14:16,166 --> 00:14:20,466 {\an1}There were a lot of people, even in 1937, who didn't like 296 00:14:20,500 --> 00:14:22,166 {\an1}the Hitler government. 297 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,166 {\an1}It was perfectly natural for people to ask, 298 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,333 {\an1}"Did somebody bomb this airship?" 299 00:14:26,366 --> 00:14:28,200 ♪ 300 00:14:28,233 --> 00:14:33,600 NARRATOR: Two investigations begin, one German, one American. 301 00:14:33,633 --> 00:14:36,466 {\an1}But no one finds any evidence of foul play. 302 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:38,933 {\an1}The reality is that all evidence suggests 303 00:14:38,966 --> 00:14:40,109 {\an1}it could not have been sabotage. 304 00:14:40,133 --> 00:14:44,100 NARRATOR: If not sabotage, then what? 305 00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:45,709 GROSSMAN: They looked at a lot of things. 306 00:14:45,733 --> 00:14:47,433 {\an1}Diesel engine exhaust, 307 00:14:47,466 --> 00:14:49,966 {\an1}or a propeller breaking and entering the airframe, 308 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,033 {\an1}or someone from the ground shooting at the airship, 309 00:14:53,066 --> 00:14:54,966 {\an1}but both agreed that it was leaking hydrogen 310 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,500 {\an1}ignited by some electrostatic discharge. 311 00:14:57,533 --> 00:14:59,066 {\an1}(thunder rumbling) 312 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:03,100 NARRATOR: Electrostatic discharge... a sudden flow of electricity 313 00:15:03,133 --> 00:15:06,833 {\an1}between two electrically charged objects. 314 00:15:06,866 --> 00:15:09,200 {\an1}In other words, a spark. 315 00:15:09,233 --> 00:15:12,133 It can be tiny... Like the spark you feel 316 00:15:12,166 --> 00:15:13,400 {\an1}when you walk across a carpet 317 00:15:13,433 --> 00:15:16,066 {\an1}and touch something. (static) 318 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:20,566 {\an1}Or enormous, like lightning. (thunder rumbling) 319 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,866 {\an1}Although investigators eventually 320 00:15:22,900 --> 00:15:27,733 {\an1}conclude that leaking hydrogen was ignited by a spark, 321 00:15:27,766 --> 00:15:30,000 {\an1}they never precisely demonstrate 322 00:15:30,033 --> 00:15:32,300 {\an1}the cause of the spark. 323 00:15:32,333 --> 00:15:34,500 {\an1}But the source of the hydrogen is obvious: 324 00:15:34,533 --> 00:15:39,266 {\an1}a leak, somewhere in one of the gas cells. 325 00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:43,466 {\an1}A surviving crewman reported that he saw an orange glow 326 00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:46,433 {\an1}in gas cell four, near the tail. 327 00:15:46,466 --> 00:15:51,466 {\an1}Observers on the ground also saw the first flames near the tail. 328 00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:55,166 {\an1}With so much of the physical evidence destroyed, 329 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,000 {\an1}investigators have to rely on these eyewitness accounts. 330 00:15:59,033 --> 00:16:03,266 {\an1}But there is one other type of evidence. 331 00:16:03,300 --> 00:16:07,000 {\an1}About a dozen press and newsreel photographers 332 00:16:07,033 --> 00:16:09,300 {\an1}were covering the landing. 333 00:16:09,333 --> 00:16:12,209 {\an1}MORRISON (archival): The landing crew of the airbase here is superbly trained 334 00:16:12,233 --> 00:16:15,033 {\an1}to handle these massive ships of the sky. 335 00:16:15,066 --> 00:16:18,033 {\an1}Safety comes first, as it always should. 336 00:16:18,066 --> 00:16:20,900 NARRATOR: But for investigators, 337 00:16:20,933 --> 00:16:23,466 {\an1}every image of the accident caught on film 338 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:28,700 {\an1}has the same limitation: they're all shot from the same angle. 339 00:16:28,733 --> 00:16:30,133 {\an7}All of the newsreel photographers 340 00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:32,100 {\an7}were gathered in a small area 341 00:16:32,133 --> 00:16:35,700 {\an7}close to the mooring mast where the ship was expected to land. 342 00:16:35,733 --> 00:16:40,166 NARRATOR: Not only are the films shot from the same place and angle, 343 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,733 {\an1}they all start at essentially the same time: 344 00:16:43,766 --> 00:16:46,433 {\an1}after the fire is well underway. 345 00:16:46,466 --> 00:16:49,966 {\an1}There's no film capturing the moment of ignition. 346 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,433 {\an1}So for over 80 years, the origin of the spark 347 00:16:53,466 --> 00:16:57,400 {\an1}that doomed Hindenburg has remained elusive, 348 00:16:57,433 --> 00:16:58,566 {\an1}what exactly caused it 349 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,666 {\an1}and where in the ship it occurred 350 00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:03,333 lost to history. 351 00:17:03,366 --> 00:17:08,200 {\an1}But now, a new piece of the Hindenburg puzzle has surfaced. 352 00:17:08,233 --> 00:17:12,333 {\an1}Ironically, it was available from the beginning, 353 00:17:12,366 --> 00:17:15,766 {\an1}but no one had been interested at the time. 354 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,366 GROSSMAN: I was here at Lakehurst for 355 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,466 {\an1}the 75th anniversary, and we had a memorial service, 356 00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:24,166 {\an1}and a guy comes up to me and says, 357 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,266 {\an1}"I've got some film on the Hindenburg disaster. 358 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:29,133 {\an1}"You probably don't really care, 359 00:17:29,166 --> 00:17:32,166 {\an1}"but this was taken by my uncle, and if you want to see it, 360 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:33,466 {\an1}I'll show it to you." 361 00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:35,633 So this is right where we met in... 362 00:17:35,666 --> 00:17:37,042 {\an1}This is right where we met. In 2012. 363 00:17:37,066 --> 00:17:39,500 {\an4}Yeah. Where you showed me this film on your laptop. 364 00:17:39,533 --> 00:17:40,876 {\an1}Yeah. And if you remember, I was so excited, 365 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:42,800 I took my cellphone and I took some photos... 366 00:17:42,833 --> 00:17:44,709 {\an1}I asked your permission... And I took photos of the film 367 00:17:44,733 --> 00:17:45,966 on your laptop. Yup, yup. 368 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,266 {\an5}Because it was, like, this is special! Yeah. 369 00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:53,866 {\an7}My dad had bought this nifty Kodak camera, 370 00:17:53,900 --> 00:17:56,166 {\an7}a wind-up movie camera, eight-millimeter. 371 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,200 {\an7}And he couldn't come because he worked. 372 00:18:00,233 --> 00:18:03,333 {\an7}So he asked my uncle and my mom 373 00:18:03,366 --> 00:18:06,100 {\an7}if they would take some shots and see the Hindenburg land. 374 00:18:06,133 --> 00:18:08,533 {\an1}And as soon as I started looking at it, I realize 375 00:18:08,566 --> 00:18:12,500 {\an1}it looked really different, and it looked really interesting. 376 00:18:12,533 --> 00:18:14,666 NARRATOR: And yet, Harold Schenck's film... 377 00:18:14,700 --> 00:18:16,866 {\an1}which starts earlier and is shot 378 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:19,866 {\an7}from a different angle than all the other photographers... 379 00:18:19,900 --> 00:18:22,833 {\an7}is never seen by investigators. 380 00:18:22,866 --> 00:18:26,433 {\an8}SCHENCK: It was, at the time, publicly put out that he had it. 381 00:18:26,466 --> 00:18:27,766 {\an7}Nobody ever asked for it. 382 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,933 {\an1}There was plenty of footage taken by the newsreels. 383 00:18:30,966 --> 00:18:33,566 {\an1}And nobody really cared, I guess, about angles. 384 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,933 {\an8}NARRATOR: But perhaps this new angle will make a difference. 385 00:18:37,966 --> 00:18:43,133 {\an7}After 80-plus years, might this footage show something new? 386 00:18:43,166 --> 00:18:46,433 {\an1}And what could a closer inspection of the film reveal? 387 00:18:46,466 --> 00:18:49,500 {\an1}To learn more about the film's history, 388 00:18:49,533 --> 00:18:51,733 {\an1}Dan Grossman brings it to Colorlab, 389 00:18:51,766 --> 00:18:55,233 {\an1}a world-class facility that restores historic film 390 00:18:55,266 --> 00:18:58,200 {\an1}for the Library of Congress, National Archives, 391 00:18:58,233 --> 00:18:59,733 and others. 392 00:18:59,766 --> 00:19:01,009 {\an1}PAT DOYEN: I'm excited that you have something 393 00:19:01,033 --> 00:19:02,200 {\an1}for me to look at, right? 394 00:19:02,233 --> 00:19:03,700 {\an1}I am excited for you to look at it. 395 00:19:03,733 --> 00:19:06,366 {\an1}So, here is the film we've been talking about. 396 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:08,466 {\an1}Wow. And I also brought you 397 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:11,000 {\an4}the camera that it was filmed on. Oh, wow! 398 00:19:11,033 --> 00:19:15,900 NARRATOR: Film archivist Pat Doyen is an expert in preserving 399 00:19:15,933 --> 00:19:17,400 {\an1}and restoring rare vintage film. 400 00:19:17,433 --> 00:19:19,033 {\an1}DOYEN: Good provenance here. 401 00:19:19,066 --> 00:19:22,200 {\an7}And you believe that the film was shot with this 402 00:19:22,233 --> 00:19:23,800 exact camera? Yes, I do! 403 00:19:23,833 --> 00:19:25,866 {\an1}I can see that this is the kind of box 404 00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:27,376 that this film would have been packaged in. 405 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:29,266 {\an1}I can see that you had it 406 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:32,533 {\an1}processed by Kodak, uh, there's an address, 407 00:19:32,566 --> 00:19:34,366 {\an1}there's a stamp from the time. 408 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,700 {\an1}So this is all really good information. 409 00:19:36,733 --> 00:19:38,066 (reel creaking) 410 00:19:38,100 --> 00:19:40,866 {\an1}And when we look at it over the light table, 411 00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:42,666 {\an1}there's a few things we can tell. 412 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:44,233 {\an1}Now, there's a number here, 36814. 413 00:19:44,266 --> 00:19:47,800 {\an5}Oh, okay. That was written on the box, and you can see 414 00:19:47,833 --> 00:19:50,233 {\an1}it's also on this leader. And who wrote that? 415 00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:51,876 {\an4}Would Kodak have written that? That... yes. 416 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:54,000 {\an4}That would have been for processing. Okay. 417 00:19:54,033 --> 00:19:58,433 {\an1}So, right now, I'm going to look for what they call a date code. 418 00:19:58,466 --> 00:20:02,333 {\an1}So Kodak put, um, some symbols on the film 419 00:20:02,366 --> 00:20:05,133 to tell us when it was manufactured. 420 00:20:07,566 --> 00:20:11,933 {\an1}So I'm looking at the date code, and I see a triangle square. 421 00:20:11,966 --> 00:20:13,909 {\an1}So how do you know what a triangle and a square means? 422 00:20:13,933 --> 00:20:16,733 {\an1}So there's a reference to check that out. 423 00:20:16,766 --> 00:20:18,000 {\an1}And we can see... 424 00:20:18,033 --> 00:20:19,100 This film 425 00:20:19,133 --> 00:20:20,966 {\an1}was manufactured 426 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,733 {\an1}between July to December 1936. 427 00:20:23,766 --> 00:20:25,000 {\an1}Ah. 428 00:20:25,033 --> 00:20:26,233 NARRATOR: 1936, 429 00:20:26,266 --> 00:20:28,133 {\an1}the year before the accident. 430 00:20:28,166 --> 00:20:31,866 {\an5}When someone would buy a film for 1937. Great. 431 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:35,400 {\an1}We can see the aperture plate, 432 00:20:35,433 --> 00:20:37,966 {\an1}the little cutout on the left side. 433 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:42,633 NARRATOR: The camera's aperture plate defines the frame of the picture 434 00:20:42,666 --> 00:20:46,033 {\an1}where the image extends in between the sprocket holes. 435 00:20:46,066 --> 00:20:48,733 {\an1}DOYEN: This one here, which matches our film, 436 00:20:48,766 --> 00:20:53,033 {\an1}has the square in between the two perforations. 437 00:20:53,066 --> 00:20:54,100 {\an1}Is that, is it exactly 438 00:20:54,133 --> 00:20:55,476 {\an5}what we're seeing right here? Mm-hmm. 439 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:56,842 Oh, yeah, of course, it looks just like your book. 440 00:20:56,866 --> 00:20:57,800 {\an1}It tells us that 441 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:00,300 {\an1}it was shot with this model of camera, 442 00:21:00,333 --> 00:21:03,100 {\an1}the Cine Kodak 8, model 20. 443 00:21:03,133 --> 00:21:08,133 NARRATOR: A year before the disaster, in an eerily prophetic ad 444 00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:09,900 {\an1}featuring the Hindenburg, 445 00:21:09,933 --> 00:21:12,333 {\an1}Kodak suggested using their cameras 446 00:21:12,366 --> 00:21:15,833 to film "moments that make history." 447 00:21:15,866 --> 00:21:18,100 {\an1}It also tells me that it was camera-original. 448 00:21:18,133 --> 00:21:20,033 NARRATOR: Camera-original. 449 00:21:20,066 --> 00:21:23,500 {\an1}This film was exposed in a camera... it's not a copy. 450 00:21:23,533 --> 00:21:24,666 {\an1}If it was a print, 451 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:27,100 {\an1}you wouldn't see the circles or the squares, 452 00:21:27,133 --> 00:21:29,233 {\an1}because the printer blocks that off. 453 00:21:29,266 --> 00:21:32,033 {\an4}GROSSMAN: So what's your verdict on the film? So... 454 00:21:32,066 --> 00:21:33,900 It's a little shrunken 455 00:21:33,933 --> 00:21:36,133 {\an1}and it's got some aging here, 456 00:21:36,166 --> 00:21:37,700 {\an1}it's got a little silver mirroring, 457 00:21:37,733 --> 00:21:39,833 {\an1}which tells me that it's an old film. 458 00:21:39,866 --> 00:21:42,066 {\an1}This doesn't happen right away, overnight. 459 00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:44,333 {\an1}It takes years and years, 460 00:21:44,366 --> 00:21:47,600 {\an1}sometimes decades, so all of this taken together, 461 00:21:47,633 --> 00:21:50,233 I can't say with a hundred percent certainty, 462 00:21:50,266 --> 00:21:51,966 {\an1}but everything points to this film 463 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,233 {\an5}being an authentic film. Wow. 464 00:21:55,266 --> 00:21:56,642 {\an1}DOYEN: That it was shot at that time. 465 00:21:56,666 --> 00:21:58,466 {\an1}This is a good day. 466 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:04,233 ♪ 467 00:22:05,666 --> 00:22:08,400 NARRATOR: After digitally scanning the film, 468 00:22:08,433 --> 00:22:11,266 {\an1}Dan and Pat take a look on a large screen. 469 00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:16,033 {\an1}This is the first time this footage has been widely seen. 470 00:22:16,066 --> 00:22:21,000 {\an1}(film reel whirring) 471 00:22:21,033 --> 00:22:22,266 {\an1}Wow! 472 00:22:23,666 --> 00:22:27,533 {\an1}Look at how much detail we get from this scan. 473 00:22:27,566 --> 00:22:30,033 NARRATOR: The roll of film will last only two minutes. 474 00:22:30,066 --> 00:22:34,266 {\an1}To conserve it, Harold Schenck shoots brief moments: 475 00:22:34,300 --> 00:22:36,933 {\an1}the ground crew assembling, 476 00:22:36,966 --> 00:22:41,400 {\an1}the giant ship passing over the hangar. 477 00:22:41,433 --> 00:22:45,166 {\an1}The landing lines are the last thing Harold Schenck records 478 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,866 {\an1}before disaster strikes. 479 00:22:47,900 --> 00:22:53,600 {\an1}And as it exploded, he had the camera at his side, 480 00:22:53,633 --> 00:22:58,033 {\an1}and it was a wind-up camera, so he, he had the presence of mind 481 00:22:58,066 --> 00:23:02,166 {\an1}to switch the switch on and pick it up at that moment. 482 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:08,966 ♪ 483 00:23:21,633 --> 00:23:23,033 Thanks to that aperture plate, 484 00:23:23,066 --> 00:23:25,600 {\an1}you actually see the nose and the tail at the same time. 485 00:23:25,633 --> 00:23:27,666 {\an1}Is that unusual? Yes, it is. 486 00:23:27,700 --> 00:23:31,300 {\an8}NARRATOR: The spring runs down. 487 00:23:31,333 --> 00:23:36,200 {\an7}After rewinding, he rolls again, getting the aftermath. 488 00:23:36,233 --> 00:23:38,933 {\an8}GROSSMAN: You can see details of the girder structure. 489 00:23:38,966 --> 00:23:42,833 {\an7}Where the gas cells were would be a lot of information for us 490 00:23:42,866 --> 00:23:45,100 {\an1}about how this flame progressed. 491 00:23:45,133 --> 00:23:48,866 {\an1}This is really great, thank you for doing this for us. 492 00:23:50,766 --> 00:23:53,666 {\an8}NARRATOR: Confident of the film's provenance, 493 00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:56,166 {\an7}Dan now shares the new digital transfer 494 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:57,333 with Jason. 495 00:23:57,366 --> 00:23:58,742 GROSSMAN: You can see the mooring mast. 496 00:23:58,766 --> 00:23:59,933 {\an1}There's the ship, 497 00:23:59,966 --> 00:24:01,542 {\an1}it's flying over the building we're in right now, 498 00:24:01,566 --> 00:24:02,733 {\an1}that's hangar one. 499 00:24:02,766 --> 00:24:04,800 {\an1}That's the upwind pattern that it was flying 500 00:24:04,833 --> 00:24:06,466 {\an7}as it's coming overhead the hangar 501 00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:07,609 {\an7}before it did its initial turn. 502 00:24:07,633 --> 00:24:10,066 NARRATOR: The sequence of events during 503 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:14,266 {\an1}Hindenburg's landing approach has clues about what went wrong. 504 00:24:14,300 --> 00:24:16,766 {\an1}Surviving crew members indicated 505 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,900 {\an1}that they were having trouble trimming the ship... 506 00:24:19,933 --> 00:24:21,266 {\an1}keeping it level. 507 00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:23,100 {\an1}The tail was heavy. 508 00:24:23,133 --> 00:24:26,133 {\an1}When an aircraft is out of trim, it's not in balance. 509 00:24:26,166 --> 00:24:29,066 {\an1}And when you look at how massive this aircraft was, 510 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:31,700 {\an1}and then try to control it, and it's out of trim, 511 00:24:31,733 --> 00:24:36,233 {\an1}it is not going to do what you're asking. 512 00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:38,533 NARRATOR: To correct the problem, 513 00:24:38,566 --> 00:24:42,333 {\an1}they valve off gas from the bow, making it heavier. 514 00:24:42,366 --> 00:24:45,466 {\an7}Depending on how heavy you wanted to make the ship, 515 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:49,933 {\an7}you held the gas valve open for 15 seconds, 30 seconds. 516 00:24:49,966 --> 00:24:53,300 NARRATOR: They release gas multiple times. 517 00:24:53,333 --> 00:24:55,866 {\an1}They're still tail-heavy. 518 00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:59,966 {\an1}Then they drop weight, water ballast, from the tail 519 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,133 {\an1}to make it lighter. 520 00:25:02,166 --> 00:25:05,100 ZITAROSA: They've already dropped about 1,300 pounds of water ballast. 521 00:25:05,133 --> 00:25:08,566 {\an1}Now they've moved six men into the nose. 522 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,366 {\an1}That's another 1,200 pounds. 523 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:11,900 {\an1}The ship is still tail-heavy. 524 00:25:11,933 --> 00:25:15,333 NARRATOR: Why might Hindenburg be tail-heavy? 525 00:25:15,366 --> 00:25:17,766 {\an1}It seems most likely that it was tail-heavy 526 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,166 {\an1}because there was a pre-existing hydrogen leak. 527 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,000 ♪ 528 00:25:22,033 --> 00:25:26,166 NARRATOR: They now have a choice: proceed with the landing or stop 529 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,166 {\an1}and diagnose the problem. 530 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:29,776 ZITAROSA: It would have been relatively simple 531 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,766 {\an1}to send a few riggers back to look into the condition 532 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:38,533 {\an1}of whether the rear gas cells were all intact. 533 00:25:38,566 --> 00:25:39,766 {\an1}If they needed to wait longer, 534 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,676 {\an1}they could have just hung out and waited longer. 535 00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:43,600 {\an1}It's not an issue of running out of fuel. 536 00:25:43,633 --> 00:25:45,742 {\an1}It could stay up there for an indeterminate amount of time 537 00:25:45,766 --> 00:25:47,833 {\an1}because it's an airship. 538 00:25:47,866 --> 00:25:51,966 NARRATOR: But who will make the decision? 539 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,300 {\an1}The official commander of the flight was Max Pruss, 540 00:25:54,333 --> 00:25:56,166 but the director of flight operations, 541 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,233 {\an1}or the chief pilot, Ernst Lehmann, was also onboard. 542 00:25:59,266 --> 00:26:04,000 {\an1}So Pruss was operating under the eye of his boss. 543 00:26:04,033 --> 00:26:08,133 {\an1}Lehmann was very, very conscious of the fact 544 00:26:08,166 --> 00:26:10,233 {\an1}that they were 12 hours behind schedule, 545 00:26:10,266 --> 00:26:13,100 {\an1}and they had a full load of passengers 546 00:26:13,133 --> 00:26:15,466 {\an1}that had to get onboard and get back to Europe, 547 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:18,166 {\an1}and this was now his ball game. 548 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,400 {\an1}How do you tell your boss, "Hey, boss, we're late, 549 00:26:21,433 --> 00:26:24,100 {\an1}and I actually want to make us more late"? 550 00:26:24,133 --> 00:26:27,933 {\an1}"I know we're supposed to land, but I don't think it's safe." 551 00:26:27,966 --> 00:26:29,166 GROSSMAN: There's no 552 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,233 {\an1}cockpit voice recorder from Hindenburg. 553 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:33,300 {\an1}We don't know what they said to each other. 554 00:26:33,333 --> 00:26:36,333 NARRATOR: All we know is what they did. 555 00:26:36,366 --> 00:26:39,633 {\an1}There's the line going down, you see it hit the ground. 556 00:26:39,666 --> 00:26:41,766 {\an1}And the ship started to burn, 557 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,400 {\an1}and look how quickly this crashes, right? 558 00:26:44,433 --> 00:26:45,942 {\an1}In the time we have just talked about this 559 00:26:45,966 --> 00:26:47,166 {\an1}for the past few seconds, 560 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,966 {\an1}that is all the time these people had to escape. 561 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:51,066 {\an1}Wow. 562 00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:53,400 That's totally different 563 00:26:53,433 --> 00:26:54,542 {\an1}than anything I've ever seen 564 00:26:54,566 --> 00:26:55,876 {\an4}from all the other footage I've seen. Right. 565 00:26:55,900 --> 00:26:58,166 {\an1}Because the person with the eight-millimeter camera 566 00:26:58,200 --> 00:26:59,400 {\an1}was in a different location. 567 00:26:59,433 --> 00:27:01,766 {\an8}HARRIS: So, so from what you've... 568 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,300 {\an8}NARRATOR: Where exactly was Harold Schenck? 569 00:27:04,333 --> 00:27:05,876 GROSSMAN: Most of the press photographers 570 00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:08,900 and all of the newsreel film photographers 571 00:27:08,933 --> 00:27:11,333 {\an1}were over in that direction where the mooring mast was. 572 00:27:11,366 --> 00:27:14,566 ♪ 573 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,433 GROSSMAN: It looks from Schenck's photographs 574 00:27:16,466 --> 00:27:20,400 {\an1}that he was located around hangar one. 575 00:27:20,433 --> 00:27:22,842 HARRIS: So he basically is seeing the aircraft go from right to left 576 00:27:22,866 --> 00:27:25,733 {\an4}as it continues to go down to this landing site. Exactly. 577 00:27:25,766 --> 00:27:28,300 And so, because he was all the way over there, 578 00:27:28,333 --> 00:27:31,100 {\an1}he got a beautiful broadside view of Hindenburg. 579 00:27:31,133 --> 00:27:33,900 {\an7}As opposed to the newsreel photographers, 580 00:27:33,933 --> 00:27:35,833 {\an7}who were looking at the bow of the aircraft 581 00:27:35,866 --> 00:27:37,366 {\an7}as it was flying toward them. 582 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:38,766 {\an8}HARRIS: Right. 583 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,166 {\an8}♪ 584 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,533 NARRATOR: But for all it reveals, Harold Schenck's film 585 00:27:45,566 --> 00:27:48,800 does not show what ignited the hydrogen, 586 00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:52,600 {\an1}the spark that doomed Hindenburg. 587 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:57,333 {\an8}GIAPIS: How did the spark actually find its way 588 00:27:57,366 --> 00:28:01,133 {\an8}to the location in this enormous airship, 589 00:28:01,166 --> 00:28:02,409 where actually hydrogen was coming out, 590 00:28:02,433 --> 00:28:03,700 mixing with air? 591 00:28:03,733 --> 00:28:05,933 NARRATOR: To try and learn more about that spark, 592 00:28:05,966 --> 00:28:10,500 {\an1}Jason and Dan have turned to Konstantinos Giapis, 593 00:28:10,533 --> 00:28:13,933 {\an1}professor of chemical engineering at Caltech. 594 00:28:13,966 --> 00:28:18,800 GIAPIS: You see almost a mushroom cloud right here. 595 00:28:18,833 --> 00:28:20,833 {\an1}And this is hydrogen being released 596 00:28:20,866 --> 00:28:22,700 massively from the central airbags. 597 00:28:22,733 --> 00:28:26,100 {\an7}That hydrogen wants to rise up 598 00:28:26,133 --> 00:28:27,309 {\an7}because it's a very light gas, 599 00:28:27,333 --> 00:28:30,233 and as it rises, it takes a lot of heat with it. 600 00:28:30,266 --> 00:28:31,600 {\an1}When you look at this, 601 00:28:31,633 --> 00:28:33,000 {\an1}it's almost uncanny to think 602 00:28:33,033 --> 00:28:35,800 {\an1}that anyone actually was able to walk away from this. 603 00:28:37,566 --> 00:28:39,066 Well, you know, if you happen to be 604 00:28:39,100 --> 00:28:41,366 {\an1}underneath the fire, you, 605 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,033 you don't suffer as terrible consequences, 606 00:28:44,066 --> 00:28:45,242 and I believe this is the reason 607 00:28:45,266 --> 00:28:46,409 {\an1}why so many people survived, actually. 608 00:28:46,433 --> 00:28:48,866 NARRATOR: But the key question remains. 609 00:28:48,900 --> 00:28:51,500 I see a few things, 610 00:28:51,533 --> 00:28:53,200 but I don't see the origin of the fire, 611 00:28:53,233 --> 00:28:54,700 I don't see how the fire started. 612 00:28:54,733 --> 00:28:57,700 NARRATOR: So Professor Giapis will design 613 00:28:57,733 --> 00:28:59,066 {\an1}experiments to learn more 614 00:28:59,100 --> 00:29:01,766 {\an1}about how the fire started. 615 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,066 GIAPIS: The experiments should include 616 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:06,766 addressing the origin of the spark, 617 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,833 addressing the importance of 618 00:29:09,866 --> 00:29:12,366 the rope falling and becoming conductive, 619 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,666 {\an1}and addressing the issue of, how did a spark happen 620 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:18,400 close to where the hydrogen was leaking? 621 00:29:18,433 --> 00:29:20,366 {\an1}(jet engine roaring) 622 00:29:23,133 --> 00:29:26,233 NARRATOR: To get more information to help Professor Giapis 623 00:29:26,266 --> 00:29:28,366 {\an1}design historically relevant experiments, 624 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:30,000 {\an1}Jason and Dan travel to 625 00:29:30,033 --> 00:29:31,933 {\an7}Friedrichshafen, Germany, 626 00:29:31,966 --> 00:29:34,900 {\an7}home of the Zeppelin company and Zeppelin Museum. 627 00:29:34,933 --> 00:29:41,766 {\an1}Hindenburg made its first test flights over this lake. 628 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,333 {\an1}The Zeppelin and the industry that it set off 629 00:29:44,366 --> 00:29:45,942 {\an1}was a really important part of the town's history. 630 00:29:45,966 --> 00:29:48,966 {\an1}HARRIS: This is amazing. 631 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:50,066 {\an1}Just walking in 632 00:29:50,100 --> 00:29:51,309 and seeing that airship hanging... 633 00:29:51,333 --> 00:29:53,166 {\an1}Isn't it incredible? Yeah. 634 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,233 NARRATOR: Dan has been coming here for years; 635 00:29:55,266 --> 00:29:57,466 {\an1}this is Jason's first visit. 636 00:29:57,500 --> 00:29:59,200 HARRIS: I didn't know very much about 637 00:29:59,233 --> 00:30:00,333 {\an1}lighter-than-air aircraft. 638 00:30:00,366 --> 00:30:01,433 {\an1}I've read a few things, 639 00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:03,700 {\an1}but my background is all fixed-wing aircraft. 640 00:30:03,733 --> 00:30:06,266 {\an1}And so I was looking to 641 00:30:06,300 --> 00:30:07,742 fully understand how the airships worked, 642 00:30:07,766 --> 00:30:09,600 {\an1}and even some of the different concepts 643 00:30:09,633 --> 00:30:11,966 in terms of how the airship was constructed. 644 00:30:12,866 --> 00:30:17,333 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 645 00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:29,509 GROSSMAN: And you know, this World War I exhibit 646 00:30:29,533 --> 00:30:31,266 {\an1}really gives you an understanding 647 00:30:31,300 --> 00:30:34,533 {\an1}of just how experienced the Germans were with Zeppelins. 648 00:30:34,566 --> 00:30:37,400 {\an1}And it actually explains a lot about their confidence 649 00:30:37,433 --> 00:30:40,733 {\an1}and overconfidence operating Hindenburg, 650 00:30:40,766 --> 00:30:42,966 {\an1}because they had flown these hydrogen-filled Zeppelins 651 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,800 {\an1}for 37 years. 652 00:30:44,833 --> 00:30:47,366 {\an1}They'd flown over 100 of them. 653 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:52,433 NARRATOR: Nevertheless, Hindenburg is not the first Zeppelin to burn. 654 00:30:52,466 --> 00:30:55,266 {\an7}There were a lot of hydrogen airships that burned, 655 00:30:55,300 --> 00:30:59,400 {\an7}even outside of combat, as a result of operating accidents. 656 00:30:59,433 --> 00:31:02,033 NARRATOR: In fact, the Zeppelin company 657 00:31:02,066 --> 00:31:06,300 {\an1}was hoping to abandon hydrogen, because of the danger. 658 00:31:06,333 --> 00:31:08,400 {\an8}ZITAROSA: The Hindenburg had originally been designed 659 00:31:08,433 --> 00:31:12,833 {\an7}with the intention of using helium gas. 660 00:31:12,866 --> 00:31:16,866 {\an1}However, helium was a strictly American resource in those days. 661 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:18,766 {\an1}Most of the world's helium supply existed 662 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:24,200 {\an1}within a 250-mile radius of Amarillo, Texas. 663 00:31:24,233 --> 00:31:29,500 NARRATOR: In 1927, Congress passes the Helium Control Act, 664 00:31:29,533 --> 00:31:33,833 {\an1}which forbids selling helium to any foreign nation. 665 00:31:33,866 --> 00:31:36,366 {\an1}If Hindenburg's designers want to use helium, 666 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,666 they'll need Congressional approval. 667 00:31:38,700 --> 00:31:43,466 {\an8}(in German): 668 00:31:54,233 --> 00:31:56,733 NARRATOR: Of all the resources in this museum, 669 00:31:56,766 --> 00:31:59,133 Dan and Jason are most interested 670 00:31:59,166 --> 00:32:01,933 {\an1}in the historical archive. 671 00:32:01,966 --> 00:32:03,700 But first, they show Harold Schenck's film 672 00:32:03,733 --> 00:32:08,100 {\an7}to Zeppelin Archive director Barbara Waibel 673 00:32:08,133 --> 00:32:11,100 {\an7}and Zeppelin department head Jürgen Bleibler. 674 00:32:11,133 --> 00:32:13,966 Whoa, yeah, I've never seen this material. 675 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,933 {\an1}You can see it so clearly, 676 00:32:16,966 --> 00:32:19,500 {\an1}how, how the way of the fire is. 677 00:32:19,533 --> 00:32:21,066 {\an5}BLEIBLER: This moment... WAIBEL: Mm-hmm. 678 00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:24,233 BLEIBLER: Escaping for, of the passengers is unbelievable. 679 00:32:24,266 --> 00:32:25,333 GROSSMAN: Yeah, isn't it? 680 00:32:25,366 --> 00:32:26,433 {\an1}They had so little time. 681 00:32:26,466 --> 00:32:27,933 WAIBEL: Mm-hmm. 682 00:32:27,966 --> 00:32:29,609 {\an1}I've never seen it from this point of view. 683 00:32:29,633 --> 00:32:32,733 So it's really new material for me, yeah. 684 00:32:33,966 --> 00:32:36,466 {\an8}NARRATOR: The fire started roughly four minutes after 685 00:32:36,500 --> 00:32:39,166 {\an7}the landing ropes hit the ground. 686 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,566 {\an1}So Professor Giapis is interested in that rope. 687 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:44,500 {\an1}Could it conduct electricity, 688 00:32:44,533 --> 00:32:46,366 {\an1}which might contribute to a spark? 689 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,366 {\an1}One of the things we'd like to do 690 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,266 {\an1}is test the electrical conductivity of the trail rope, 691 00:32:52,300 --> 00:32:54,533 {\an5}the landing rope, the Landestau. Mm-hmm. 692 00:32:54,566 --> 00:32:55,942 We'd like to get a sample of that rope 693 00:32:55,966 --> 00:32:57,166 {\an1}and see what it looks like. 694 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,766 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 695 00:33:01,066 --> 00:33:02,166 {\an7}Excellent. 696 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,700 {\an7}HARRIS: And is this one of the actual ropes? 697 00:33:04,733 --> 00:33:09,266 {\an8}(in German): 698 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:13,466 {\an7}Ah. 699 00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:15,433 {\an8}GROSSMAN: So let's go ahead and see 700 00:33:15,466 --> 00:33:16,433 {\an7}how, how big the rope is, 701 00:33:16,466 --> 00:33:17,933 {\an1}what, what its circumference is, 702 00:33:17,966 --> 00:33:19,800 {\an1}so that we can either acquire or recreate 703 00:33:19,833 --> 00:33:21,800 {\an1}something that matches. 704 00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:23,966 14 centimeters. Mm-hmm. 705 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,000 {\an1}Mm-hmm. Excellent. 706 00:33:25,033 --> 00:33:26,209 And this is... (speaking German) 707 00:33:26,233 --> 00:33:27,166 14 centimeters, 708 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:28,800 {\an1}and it's manila hemp rope, right? 709 00:33:28,833 --> 00:33:30,566 Yeah. Yup. 710 00:33:32,700 --> 00:33:33,900 {\an8}NARRATOR: Back at Caltech, 711 00:33:33,933 --> 00:33:36,133 {\an8}Professor Giapis has immersed himself 712 00:33:36,166 --> 00:33:38,900 in Hindenburg, focusing on how 713 00:33:38,933 --> 00:33:41,233 {\an1}the leaking hydrogen may have been ignited. 714 00:33:41,266 --> 00:33:44,733 GIAPIS: I read the reports of various committees. 715 00:33:44,766 --> 00:33:47,566 They both agreed that there was a hydrogen leak. 716 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:49,866 {\an1}But there were certain things that didn't make sense. 717 00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:52,400 {\an1}How did the spark happen, where it happened, 718 00:33:52,433 --> 00:33:57,666 {\an1}and the time sequence, the timeline of how it happened. 719 00:33:57,700 --> 00:34:01,333 NARRATOR: The German committee believed the landing ropes 720 00:34:01,366 --> 00:34:03,433 {\an1}allowed a spark to happen, 721 00:34:03,466 --> 00:34:06,200 because they gave electricity a path 722 00:34:06,233 --> 00:34:07,866 {\an1}from the ship to the ground. 723 00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:13,366 {\an1}In a house, electricity flows from one side of an outlet 724 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,166 through whatever is plugged into it, 725 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,500 and back to the other side of the outlet. 726 00:34:17,533 --> 00:34:20,933 {\an1}But it only flows when it has a path. 727 00:34:20,966 --> 00:34:24,833 {\an1}Take away the path, the flow stops. 728 00:34:24,866 --> 00:34:27,533 {\an1}Why this matters to the Hindenburg 729 00:34:27,566 --> 00:34:30,366 {\an1}is because the airship is carrying electricity 730 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:32,133 on its skin. 731 00:34:32,166 --> 00:34:34,133 {\an7}Any craft moving through the air 732 00:34:34,166 --> 00:34:36,133 {\an7}will accumulate a charge. 733 00:34:36,166 --> 00:34:39,366 NARRATOR: As long as Hindenburg's electrical charge 734 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,533 {\an1}has no path, it can't flow. 735 00:34:45,033 --> 00:34:46,266 {\an1}To find out if landing rope 736 00:34:46,300 --> 00:34:50,033 {\an1}could create an electrical path to the ground, 737 00:34:50,066 --> 00:34:53,700 {\an1}Professor Giapis will test a sample to see if it conducts. 738 00:34:55,066 --> 00:34:57,600 {\an1}Jason is back at Caltech to observe. 739 00:34:57,633 --> 00:35:00,633 {\an1}So, what you were looking for was, how did 740 00:35:00,666 --> 00:35:02,833 {\an1}the spark in that particular place 741 00:35:02,866 --> 00:35:06,033 {\an7}connect with the hydrogen in that explicit moment in time? 742 00:35:06,066 --> 00:35:07,666 {\an8}Yes. 743 00:35:07,700 --> 00:35:10,600 {\an7}The committees talked about the skin charging up. 744 00:35:10,633 --> 00:35:12,666 {\an7}And the question is, what happens to that charge? 745 00:35:12,700 --> 00:35:15,333 I can try to find out where the charge goes 746 00:35:15,366 --> 00:35:18,400 {\an1}and whether, in doing so, it can create a spark. 747 00:35:18,433 --> 00:35:20,966 NARRATOR: Hindenburg approaches, 748 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,833 {\an1}carrying a powerful electrical charge on its skin. 749 00:35:24,866 --> 00:35:27,600 {\an1}But the charge has no path to go anywhere. 750 00:35:27,633 --> 00:35:30,666 {\an1}Port and starboard trail lines hit the ground. 751 00:35:30,700 --> 00:35:34,200 {\an8}NARRATOR: But nothing happens. 752 00:35:34,233 --> 00:35:36,200 {\an7}From the moment the ropes touch the ground, 753 00:35:36,233 --> 00:35:39,900 {\an7}it takes about four minutes for the fire to start. 754 00:35:39,933 --> 00:35:43,100 {\an1}If the ropes created a path for electricity to flow, 755 00:35:43,133 --> 00:35:45,366 {\an1}then why the delay? 756 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:47,566 {\an1}What was important about the rope and the four minutes? 757 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:51,800 {\an1}So, the idea from both investigative committees 758 00:35:51,833 --> 00:35:55,000 {\an1}was that the rope was not conductive 759 00:35:55,033 --> 00:35:56,400 {\an1}to begin with. 760 00:35:56,433 --> 00:35:58,433 {\an1}It took four minutes or so for it to get wet 761 00:35:58,466 --> 00:35:59,633 {\an1}to create the spark. 762 00:35:59,666 --> 00:36:02,266 NARRATOR: During the final landing approach, 763 00:36:02,300 --> 00:36:03,833 {\an1}a light rain is falling. 764 00:36:03,866 --> 00:36:07,733 {\an1}The theory is that as the rope got wet, 765 00:36:07,766 --> 00:36:09,666 {\an1}it became more conductive. 766 00:36:09,700 --> 00:36:10,900 {\an1}So I want to probe that. 767 00:36:10,933 --> 00:36:12,866 {\an1}I want to find out if the rope 768 00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:14,666 {\an1}was initially conductive at all, 769 00:36:14,700 --> 00:36:19,900 {\an1}and how quickly did it become conductive when it became wet? 770 00:36:19,933 --> 00:36:22,933 {\an1}Where'd you acquire this rope from and how is it similar 771 00:36:22,966 --> 00:36:24,833 to what they had 80-plus years ago? 772 00:36:24,866 --> 00:36:27,366 {\an1}So, we had to search, uh, quite a bit, actually, 773 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:28,700 {\an1}to find this rope. 774 00:36:28,733 --> 00:36:30,633 {\an1}However, we found one 775 00:36:30,666 --> 00:36:32,633 that is made of the same material, 776 00:36:32,666 --> 00:36:34,200 {\an1}which is manila hemp. 777 00:36:34,233 --> 00:36:37,466 And this one is an eight-braid rope, 778 00:36:37,500 --> 00:36:39,566 {\an1}whereas the original one was a 12-braid rope. 779 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:43,266 {\an1}But it's approximately the same diameter. 780 00:36:43,300 --> 00:36:45,233 {\an1}And it has a lot of surface area, 781 00:36:45,266 --> 00:36:46,833 {\an1}which is important for our experiment. 782 00:36:46,866 --> 00:36:48,600 {\an1}My first experiment was, 783 00:36:48,633 --> 00:36:51,366 try to see if any current flows through it 784 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,866 {\an1}when you apply a voltage across the, 785 00:36:53,900 --> 00:36:55,533 {\an1}the two ends of the rope. 786 00:36:55,566 --> 00:36:57,566 {\an1}I will increase the voltage 787 00:36:57,600 --> 00:36:59,200 {\an1}that I apply at the top. 788 00:36:59,233 --> 00:37:00,733 NARRATOR: Professor Giapis 789 00:37:00,766 --> 00:37:03,366 applies almost 3,000 volts 790 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:04,533 {\an1}to the top end of the rope. 791 00:37:05,633 --> 00:37:08,400 {\an1}GIAPIS: What you see here is 792 00:37:08,433 --> 00:37:09,976 {\an1}something that I think is pretty remarkable. 793 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,500 {\an1}We see a current flowing through the rope 794 00:37:13,533 --> 00:37:14,966 {\an1}when we apply... 795 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,966 {\an1}It's almost three kilovolts. 796 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,366 GIAPIS: To my immense surprise, 797 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,133 dry rope had some conductivity. 798 00:37:23,166 --> 00:37:24,442 Now, when I talk about conductivity, 799 00:37:24,466 --> 00:37:26,466 {\an1}what we're talking about is the ability 800 00:37:26,500 --> 00:37:27,833 {\an1}to ground the airframe. 801 00:37:27,866 --> 00:37:31,766 NARRATOR: So even dry rope provides an electrical path 802 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,800 {\an1}from the ship to the ground, which, theoretically, 803 00:37:34,833 --> 00:37:36,666 {\an1}could trigger a spark. 804 00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:39,233 {\an1}But the test isn't over. 805 00:37:39,266 --> 00:37:40,866 {\an1}Now we want to find out 806 00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:43,300 what happens when I make this wet. 807 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:46,066 {\an1}So we have the same voltage we have dialed before, 808 00:37:46,100 --> 00:37:47,300 {\an1}about three kilovolts, 809 00:37:47,333 --> 00:37:49,566 {\an1}and I will make this wet. 810 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,466 {\an1}So I'm using deionized water 811 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:55,466 {\an1}to try to simulate the absorption of water by the rope. 812 00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:57,033 {\an1}Pay attention to this. 813 00:37:57,066 --> 00:37:58,933 So it's increasing with 814 00:37:58,966 --> 00:38:01,200 every bit of wetness. 815 00:38:01,233 --> 00:38:03,866 With every bit of water, you add to it, it's increasing. 816 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:06,033 And so you figure, for four minutes, 817 00:38:06,066 --> 00:38:07,309 it was constantly having this done 818 00:38:07,333 --> 00:38:09,733 with four minutes of rain and moisture. 819 00:38:09,766 --> 00:38:10,733 {\an1}So it becomes 820 00:38:10,766 --> 00:38:12,766 {\an1}very conductive. 821 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:14,533 NARRATOR: Over ten times more current 822 00:38:14,566 --> 00:38:17,766 {\an1}flows when the rope is even slightly wet. 823 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:18,966 {\an1}Now that it's wet, 824 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:20,966 {\an1}let's look at what happens 825 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:22,700 as we come down. 826 00:38:22,733 --> 00:38:23,842 {\an1}You see that the voltage now, 827 00:38:23,866 --> 00:38:25,800 {\an1}two inches below, is about the same. 828 00:38:25,833 --> 00:38:27,366 As I come down, 829 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:29,500 {\an1}that higher voltage is communicated. 830 00:38:29,533 --> 00:38:32,200 {\an1}This thing is fully conductive. 831 00:38:32,233 --> 00:38:34,266 NARRATOR: So wet or dry, 832 00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:35,742 the landing rope does conduct electricity. 833 00:38:35,766 --> 00:38:39,000 {\an1}But how would that cause a spark? 834 00:38:39,033 --> 00:38:41,566 {\an1}The Zeppelin is flying. 835 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,733 {\an1}She's got an electrical charge that she has picked up. 836 00:38:43,766 --> 00:38:46,066 NARRATOR: But the charge on 837 00:38:46,100 --> 00:38:49,633 {\an1}Hindenburg's skin can't go anywhere... yet. 838 00:38:49,666 --> 00:38:52,000 ZITAROSA: The airship is isolated from the ground. 839 00:38:52,033 --> 00:38:53,800 {\an1}The mooring ropes are dropped. 840 00:38:53,833 --> 00:38:56,100 {\an1}They become conductors. 841 00:38:56,133 --> 00:38:59,266 NARRATOR: But there's a problem. 842 00:38:59,300 --> 00:39:01,366 GIAPIS: My very first experiment showed that the rope 843 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:03,033 {\an1}had some conductivity, 844 00:39:03,066 --> 00:39:04,800 {\an1}and for the kinds of voltages 845 00:39:04,833 --> 00:39:06,200 {\an1}that I think were possible 846 00:39:06,233 --> 00:39:07,566 on the airship, 847 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:09,600 {\an1}that conductivity meant that... 848 00:39:09,633 --> 00:39:11,066 (snaps) 849 00:39:11,100 --> 00:39:12,466 The explosion should have happened 850 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:14,166 {\an1}the moment the rope hit the ground. 851 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,133 NARRATOR: So once the ropes hit the ground, 852 00:39:17,166 --> 00:39:22,133 {\an1}what explains the four-minute delay before the explosion? 853 00:39:23,566 --> 00:39:28,200 {\an1}Dan and Jason found a clue in Germany. 854 00:39:28,233 --> 00:39:29,400 {\an1}In the Zeppelin Museum, 855 00:39:29,433 --> 00:39:31,300 {\an1}they got details of Hindenburg's skin 856 00:39:31,333 --> 00:39:34,566 {\an1}and the paint that covered it, called "dope." 857 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:35,666 {\an1}Let's talk about the dope, 858 00:39:35,700 --> 00:39:37,433 the Cellon that went onto the fabric. 859 00:39:37,466 --> 00:39:39,700 NARRATOR: The Cellon dope paint 860 00:39:39,733 --> 00:39:42,933 {\an1}is what gave Hindenburg its metallic sheen. 861 00:39:42,966 --> 00:39:46,833 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 862 00:39:58,900 --> 00:40:01,000 NARRATOR: But it's the electrical properties 863 00:40:01,033 --> 00:40:03,233 {\an1}of Hindenburg's skin 864 00:40:03,266 --> 00:40:05,166 {\an1}that concern Professor Giapis. 865 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,233 GROSSMAN: Barbara, one of the things we care about 866 00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:09,666 {\an1}is whether there was an electrical connection 867 00:40:09,700 --> 00:40:12,433 {\an1}between the, the fabric and the metal. 868 00:40:12,466 --> 00:40:15,433 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 869 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:18,766 {\an7}Right. 870 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,133 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 871 00:40:24,866 --> 00:40:26,600 {\an7}Right. 872 00:40:26,633 --> 00:40:33,033 {\an7}WAIBEL (in German): 873 00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:42,266 {\an8}NARRATOR: The wooden pegs, and the space between skin and metal frame, 874 00:40:42,300 --> 00:40:44,966 {\an7}would theoretically prevent a charge on the skin 875 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:46,200 {\an7}from reaching the frame. 876 00:40:46,233 --> 00:40:50,033 {\an7}It's crucial information for Professor Giapis. 877 00:40:50,066 --> 00:40:52,133 {\an7}It seems to be that 878 00:40:52,166 --> 00:40:54,833 {\an8}this wooden dowel was actually put there 879 00:40:54,866 --> 00:40:58,633 {\an7}to separate the skin as a protection/safety mechanism 880 00:40:58,666 --> 00:41:00,200 {\an7}in the building of the airship. 881 00:41:00,233 --> 00:41:04,233 {\an8}NARRATOR: This design means there's no electrical connection 882 00:41:04,266 --> 00:41:06,766 {\an7}between skin and frame. 883 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:09,533 {\an7}As the ship comes in to land, 884 00:41:09,566 --> 00:41:12,366 the skin is electrically charged. 885 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:13,700 {\an1}When the ropes drop, 886 00:41:13,733 --> 00:41:16,200 {\an1}the frame is electrically connected to the ground. 887 00:41:16,233 --> 00:41:21,666 {\an1}So there's now a powerful charge right next to a grounded frame, 888 00:41:21,700 --> 00:41:24,433 {\an1}with a small air gap in between. 889 00:41:24,466 --> 00:41:27,466 {\an1}It's like a person who crossed a carpet 890 00:41:27,500 --> 00:41:30,100 {\an1}almost but not quite touching the light switch. 891 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:33,466 {\an1}A spark waiting to happen. 892 00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:36,033 {\an1}GIAPIS: So there is electrical communication 893 00:41:36,066 --> 00:41:38,800 {\an1}between the frame and the ground. 894 00:41:38,833 --> 00:41:40,733 {\an1}So now we need to find out what was happening 895 00:41:40,766 --> 00:41:42,566 {\an1}between the skin and the airframe. 896 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:46,166 NARRATOR: Professor Giapis wants to better understand how 897 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,366 a charge that's built up on the skin 898 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,900 {\an1}could discharge in a spark 899 00:41:50,933 --> 00:41:52,500 {\an1}that jumps to the frame, 900 00:41:52,533 --> 00:41:55,366 {\an1}and why it took roughly four minutes to happen. 901 00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:56,842 GIAPIS: The second test that I developed, 902 00:41:56,866 --> 00:42:00,633 {\an1}tried to understand this charging-discharging issue. 903 00:42:00,666 --> 00:42:03,733 {\an7}So I developed a scaffold 904 00:42:03,766 --> 00:42:07,366 {\an7}similar to the frame of the original airship. 905 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:11,133 {\an8}NARRATOR: He'll use a reproduction of a section of Hindenburg's skin 906 00:42:11,166 --> 00:42:13,333 {\an1}covered with dope, stretched over 907 00:42:13,366 --> 00:42:15,833 but not touching an aluminum frame. 908 00:42:15,866 --> 00:42:18,766 HARRIS: So, what are we replicating here in this experiment? 909 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:20,900 {\an1}I'm trying to simulate 910 00:42:20,933 --> 00:42:24,166 {\an1}what was happening in the top of the airship. 911 00:42:26,066 --> 00:42:27,433 As this was 912 00:42:27,466 --> 00:42:30,633 {\an1}standing about 100 meters away from Earth, 913 00:42:30,666 --> 00:42:33,200 {\an1}the top of it, at least, collecting rain 914 00:42:33,233 --> 00:42:36,900 {\an1}and collecting also charge from the ambient environment. 915 00:42:36,933 --> 00:42:40,033 {\an1}I need to figure out a way to bring uniform charge 916 00:42:40,066 --> 00:42:43,800 {\an1}to these two panels that we're seeing here. 917 00:42:43,833 --> 00:42:45,966 {\an1}And I have done this by creating these electrodes, 918 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,100 and I will charge those 919 00:42:48,133 --> 00:42:50,000 {\an1}so that I can apply a voltage 920 00:42:50,033 --> 00:42:53,733 {\an1}that I think was existing at that time on, 921 00:42:53,766 --> 00:42:54,900 on the airship. 922 00:42:54,933 --> 00:42:56,800 The airship is grounded. 923 00:42:56,833 --> 00:42:58,233 {\an1}It has the ability to, to conduct, 924 00:42:58,266 --> 00:43:01,100 but the surface is actually just dry. 925 00:43:01,133 --> 00:43:02,233 So, you're simulating 926 00:43:02,266 --> 00:43:04,400 what it looks like, or what happens 927 00:43:04,433 --> 00:43:06,233 {\an5}when the surface itself is just dry. Correct. 928 00:43:06,266 --> 00:43:09,466 NARRATOR: The electrodes apply a charge, 929 00:43:09,500 --> 00:43:12,666 {\an1}like that which would have built up on the skin of Hindenburg. 930 00:43:12,700 --> 00:43:15,333 {\an1}I charged up the electrodes, 931 00:43:15,366 --> 00:43:18,033 connected the frame to the ground, 932 00:43:18,066 --> 00:43:20,500 {\an1}and I would observe no spark. 933 00:43:20,533 --> 00:43:21,566 My dope was very 934 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,633 "dielectric," as we say in the jargon. 935 00:43:23,666 --> 00:43:26,733 The charge was not going anywhere. 936 00:43:26,766 --> 00:43:30,433 NARRATOR: With the skin dry, the charge does not jump to the frame. 937 00:43:30,466 --> 00:43:33,600 {\an1}But these laboratory conditions do not fully replicate 938 00:43:33,633 --> 00:43:35,533 {\an1}the situation at Lakehurst. 939 00:43:35,566 --> 00:43:36,933 {\an1}Now I want to find out 940 00:43:36,966 --> 00:43:39,733 {\an1}what happens if we actually, you know, do this in the rain. 941 00:43:39,766 --> 00:43:40,800 {\an1}There was rain falling. 942 00:43:40,833 --> 00:43:42,866 {\an1}(thunder rumbling) 943 00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:45,566 The ship had also just crossed the ocean, 944 00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:48,100 {\an1}and there were salt particles on its surface. 945 00:43:48,133 --> 00:43:50,500 {\an1}Now, rain and salt make a conductive mixture. 946 00:43:50,533 --> 00:43:52,566 {\an8}All right. 947 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:54,066 {\an8}So, let's see. 948 00:43:54,100 --> 00:43:56,166 {\an8}(spritzing) 949 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:57,733 {\an7}Let's wait a little bit. 950 00:43:57,766 --> 00:43:59,900 {\an8}(sparking loudly) Whoa! 951 00:43:59,933 --> 00:44:00,900 {\an8}(sparks) 952 00:44:00,933 --> 00:44:02,800 {\an1}What is going on right now? 953 00:44:02,833 --> 00:44:04,366 (sparks) Oh, wow, that was... 954 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:06,233 {\an1}That's it. Yes, that was significant! 955 00:44:06,266 --> 00:44:07,309 {\an1}That's the spark that matters. 956 00:44:07,333 --> 00:44:11,066 GIAPIS: Charging the top surfaces, 957 00:44:11,100 --> 00:44:13,600 {\an1}adding the rain to the mix, 958 00:44:13,633 --> 00:44:16,700 you've got the spark across the skin. 959 00:44:16,733 --> 00:44:18,733 NARRATOR: But why? 960 00:44:18,766 --> 00:44:21,200 What changes when the skin is wet? 961 00:44:21,233 --> 00:44:24,133 {\an7}Rain makes the top of the skin conductive and allows 962 00:44:24,166 --> 00:44:25,209 {\an7}eventually for charges to move. 963 00:44:25,233 --> 00:44:28,333 NARRATOR: Making the skin more conductive 964 00:44:28,366 --> 00:44:31,866 {\an1}lets the charge move across it more easily, 965 00:44:31,900 --> 00:44:35,200 until it reaches a spot over a frame member, 966 00:44:35,233 --> 00:44:37,133 where it can jump across the gap. 967 00:44:37,166 --> 00:44:42,200 {\an1}But there's still the question of the four-minute delay. 968 00:44:42,233 --> 00:44:43,800 {\an1}Why didn't the spark happen 969 00:44:43,833 --> 00:44:46,233 the instant the ropes hit the ground? 970 00:44:46,266 --> 00:44:47,866 {\an1}So, then it occurred to me 971 00:44:47,900 --> 00:44:50,566 that the moment the airframe grounds, 972 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:52,133 {\an1}you form a capacitor 973 00:44:52,166 --> 00:44:54,600 {\an1}capable of storing more charge 974 00:44:54,633 --> 00:44:58,933 {\an1}than what initially existed on the surface of the airship. 975 00:44:58,966 --> 00:45:01,633 {\an1}And that means that it will take time to charge up. 976 00:45:01,666 --> 00:45:04,633 A capacitor is a very simple device 977 00:45:04,666 --> 00:45:06,133 {\an1}that allows you to store energy. 978 00:45:06,166 --> 00:45:10,200 NARRATOR: A capacitor typically contains two conductive plates 979 00:45:10,233 --> 00:45:14,300 separated by a non-conducting insulator. 980 00:45:14,333 --> 00:45:17,800 {\an1}Charge builds up on the plates, positive and negative, 981 00:45:17,833 --> 00:45:20,733 {\an1}until it's strong enough to jump across the gap. 982 00:45:20,766 --> 00:45:24,800 {\an1}On the Hindenburg, the skin represents the top surface 983 00:45:24,833 --> 00:45:28,033 {\an1}and the grounded frame represents 984 00:45:28,066 --> 00:45:30,100 {\an1}the bottom surface of the capacitor. 985 00:45:30,133 --> 00:45:34,400 NARRATOR: Positive charge from the air collects on the skin. 986 00:45:34,433 --> 00:45:37,433 {\an1}Negative charge from the ground collects through the ropes 987 00:45:37,466 --> 00:45:38,966 onto the frame. 988 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,000 {\an1}With every passing second, 989 00:45:41,033 --> 00:45:43,566 {\an1}the electric field between skin and frame 990 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:44,966 increases, 991 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:48,366 {\an1}until finally it's strong enough to jump across the gap, 992 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:50,466 making a spark. 993 00:45:50,500 --> 00:45:55,566 {\an1}To see how long it would take to fully charge Hindenburg's skin, 994 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:57,266 {\an1}Professor Giapis calculates 995 00:45:57,300 --> 00:45:59,166 how much charge the ship can hold 996 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,500 {\an1}based on its surface area 997 00:46:01,533 --> 00:46:04,933 {\an1}and compares that with the rate of atmospheric electricity 998 00:46:04,966 --> 00:46:07,533 flowing in the stormy conditions that day. 999 00:46:07,566 --> 00:46:09,500 {\an1}So then I wrote down the numbers 1000 00:46:09,533 --> 00:46:12,366 {\an1}of how long it would take for it to charge, 1001 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:13,966 {\an1}and I ended up with 1002 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,866 four minutes. 1003 00:46:17,900 --> 00:46:19,900 {\an1}And then it all clicked, 1004 00:46:19,933 --> 00:46:21,866 because nobody has been able to explain 1005 00:46:21,900 --> 00:46:24,666 the four minutes it took for it to explode. 1006 00:46:24,700 --> 00:46:27,533 NARRATOR: Rope hits the ground, 1007 00:46:27,566 --> 00:46:29,009 {\an1}turning Hindenburg into a giant capacitor. 1008 00:46:29,033 --> 00:46:32,033 {\an1}Charge is building up. 1009 00:46:32,066 --> 00:46:35,500 {\an1}It will take about four minutes to fully charge the ship. 1010 00:46:35,533 --> 00:46:38,100 {\an1}Rain is accumulating on the skin, 1011 00:46:38,133 --> 00:46:40,566 {\an1}making it easier for the charge to move 1012 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:42,700 to locations of underlying frame members. 1013 00:46:42,733 --> 00:46:44,833 ♪ 1014 00:46:44,866 --> 00:46:48,166 {\an1}For his final test, Professor Giapis 1015 00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:50,866 {\an1}repeats the experiment, adding the rope. 1016 00:46:50,900 --> 00:46:53,800 GIAPIS: The rope to the ground 1017 00:46:53,833 --> 00:46:56,166 {\an1}as if it's just thrown down. 1018 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,100 {\an1}And then we're going to make the rope wet 1019 00:46:58,133 --> 00:46:59,533 {\an1}in the correct sequence. 1020 00:46:59,566 --> 00:47:01,333 So we're going to try to find out 1021 00:47:01,366 --> 00:47:05,166 what happens when all of this is together. 1022 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:07,433 {\an1}I have zero volts down here. 1023 00:47:07,466 --> 00:47:09,066 HARRIS: Yeah. 1024 00:47:09,100 --> 00:47:10,966 {\an1}I have one volt up here. 1025 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:13,500 {\an7}What is that telling us at this point in time? 1026 00:47:13,533 --> 00:47:15,633 {\an7}It's telling us that it's a perfect conductor. 1027 00:47:15,666 --> 00:47:19,366 {\an1}The frame is connected to the ground very efficiently. 1028 00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:21,566 {\an1}So that allows for a maximum charge 1029 00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:23,033 {\an1}to accumulate up there. 1030 00:47:23,066 --> 00:47:28,266 {\an1}So, I will go now and try to recreate the spark. 1031 00:47:30,233 --> 00:47:31,800 {\an1}Ready? 1032 00:47:31,833 --> 00:47:34,433 {\an8}(spritzing) 1033 00:47:34,466 --> 00:47:37,033 {\an8}(spark buzzing) HARRIS: Oh! Whoa! 1034 00:47:38,766 --> 00:47:40,733 {\an1}GIAPIS: That was it! 1035 00:47:40,766 --> 00:47:42,933 {\an1}Tell us, what did we just experience right there? 1036 00:47:42,966 --> 00:47:46,366 {\an1}There is a capacitor forming between the skin and the frame. 1037 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:49,033 {\an1}The capacitor is fully charged. 1038 00:47:49,066 --> 00:47:50,200 {\an1}But the charge cannot move 1039 00:47:50,233 --> 00:47:52,366 {\an1}through the rope to the ground. 1040 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:53,433 {\an1}Despite the fact that 1041 00:47:53,466 --> 00:47:55,566 {\an1}the rope is wet, fully wet. 1042 00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:56,666 {\an1}However, when I 1043 00:47:56,700 --> 00:47:58,500 {\an1}drop a little bit of rain on top, 1044 00:47:58,533 --> 00:47:59,600 magic happens. 1045 00:47:59,633 --> 00:48:02,933 NARRATOR: Professor Giapis has shown that 1046 00:48:02,966 --> 00:48:05,666 {\an1}rain did contribute to the disaster. 1047 00:48:05,700 --> 00:48:07,266 {\an1}Wetting the skin made it easier... 1048 00:48:07,300 --> 00:48:08,566 {\an5}Whoa! NARRATOR: for the charge 1049 00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:11,800 {\an1}to flow to where frame members were located. 1050 00:48:11,833 --> 00:48:13,433 {\an1}That's the spark. 1051 00:48:13,466 --> 00:48:15,700 {\an1}That's how you get the spark to occur under the skin. 1052 00:48:15,733 --> 00:48:20,366 {\an1}So, it happens underneath, only after 1053 00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:21,476 {\an1}all of these series of events 1054 00:48:21,500 --> 00:48:22,466 have taken place. Yes. 1055 00:48:22,500 --> 00:48:25,700 {\an1}The rope hits the ground. Yes. 1056 00:48:25,733 --> 00:48:27,200 {\an1}The rope then gets wet. 1057 00:48:27,233 --> 00:48:30,133 {\an1}There's a charge on the top of the surface of the airship, 1058 00:48:30,166 --> 00:48:32,533 {\an1}and there's rain on top of the airship. 1059 00:48:32,566 --> 00:48:34,733 {\an5}Correct. So, all of those things have to happen, 1060 00:48:34,766 --> 00:48:37,400 {\an5}and we pretty much just walked through... Yes. 1061 00:48:37,433 --> 00:48:38,876 That one without the other means nothing. 1062 00:48:38,900 --> 00:48:40,366 {\an1}Yes. 1063 00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:42,100 But once you put the rain in there, 1064 00:48:42,133 --> 00:48:44,100 {\an1}that's where we get the magic of the spark. 1065 00:48:44,133 --> 00:48:47,100 {\an1}The magic ingredient, yes. Wow. 1066 00:48:47,133 --> 00:48:49,800 NARRATOR: But another mystery remains. 1067 00:48:49,833 --> 00:48:53,666 Why did the spark happen where it did? 1068 00:48:53,700 --> 00:48:55,366 {\an1}What were the chances 1069 00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:57,400 {\an1}in this enormous ship 1070 00:48:57,433 --> 00:48:59,700 that the spark, the tiny spark, 1071 00:48:59,733 --> 00:49:02,266 {\an1}happened right there where the hydrogen was leaking 1072 00:49:02,300 --> 00:49:06,333 {\an1}or in the vicinity of where it was mixing with air? 1073 00:49:06,366 --> 00:49:08,209 {\an1}How was it possible to get the spark right there, where, 1074 00:49:08,233 --> 00:49:09,533 you know, things were happening? 1075 00:49:09,566 --> 00:49:12,000 NARRATOR: Professor Giapis believes 1076 00:49:12,033 --> 00:49:14,633 {\an1}Hindenburg's frame, horizontal girders, 1077 00:49:14,666 --> 00:49:16,233 {\an1}and vertical rings 1078 00:49:16,266 --> 00:49:20,133 in effect formed individual panels. 1079 00:49:20,166 --> 00:49:25,266 {\an1}I realized that each panel, each crossing of these girders, 1080 00:49:25,300 --> 00:49:27,366 {\an1}is a separate capacitor. 1081 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:31,233 NARRATOR: There didn't have to be one spark in just the right place. 1082 00:49:31,266 --> 00:49:32,200 Why? 1083 00:49:32,233 --> 00:49:33,442 {\an1}Because there were multiple sparks! 1084 00:49:33,466 --> 00:49:35,500 One of them was bound to happen near it, 1085 00:49:35,533 --> 00:49:37,100 because it was happening everywhere! 1086 00:49:37,133 --> 00:49:41,433 ♪ 1087 00:49:41,466 --> 00:49:42,466 NARRATOR: Ironically, 1088 00:49:42,500 --> 00:49:44,666 the design keeping skin and frame 1089 00:49:44,700 --> 00:49:46,666 {\an1}electrically separate, 1090 00:49:46,700 --> 00:49:48,700 possibly intended as a safety feature, 1091 00:49:48,733 --> 00:49:51,666 actually made this spark possible. 1092 00:49:51,700 --> 00:49:53,276 {\an1}MORRISON (archival, crying): "I, I can't talk, 1093 00:49:53,300 --> 00:49:55,100 {\an1}"ladies and gentlemen. 1094 00:49:55,133 --> 00:49:58,633 {\an1}"Honest, it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. 1095 00:49:58,666 --> 00:50:00,600 {\an1}"I'm going to have to stop for a minute 1096 00:50:00,633 --> 00:50:01,966 {\an1}"because I've lost my voice; 1097 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:05,300 {\an1}this is the worst thing I've ever witnessed." 1098 00:50:05,333 --> 00:50:07,166 NARRATOR: Ultimately, although a spark 1099 00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:09,800 almost certainly caused the fire, 1100 00:50:09,833 --> 00:50:12,033 {\an1}it was something else that caused the tragedy. 1101 00:50:12,066 --> 00:50:14,166 ZITAROSA: The story of the Hindenburg 1102 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:17,133 {\an1}is a story very familiar, even today, 1103 00:50:17,166 --> 00:50:18,833 {\an8}of human error 1104 00:50:18,866 --> 00:50:23,100 {\an7}compounded by some very unfortunate circumstances. 1105 00:50:23,133 --> 00:50:26,800 {\an1}The Hindenburg had been put by her command 1106 00:50:26,833 --> 00:50:29,733 {\an1}into a great deal of jeopardy. 1107 00:50:29,766 --> 00:50:31,366 NARRATOR: After the accident, 1108 00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:33,633 {\an1}the Zeppelin company made some design changes 1109 00:50:33,666 --> 00:50:37,633 {\an1}in the skin-to-frame attachment, but it didn't matter. 1110 00:50:37,666 --> 00:50:39,800 {\an7}After the Hindenburg disaster, 1111 00:50:39,833 --> 00:50:43,133 {\an7}no rigid airship ever carried a paying passenger again. 1112 00:50:43,166 --> 00:50:46,733 {\an1}By the time Hindenburg actually left its hangar, 1113 00:50:46,766 --> 00:50:48,733 {\an1}there were airplanes that could do things better. 1114 00:50:50,933 --> 00:50:53,000 NARRATOR: Although Harold Schenck's film did not show 1115 00:50:53,033 --> 00:50:54,800 {\an1}how the hydrogen ignited, 1116 00:50:54,833 --> 00:50:59,166 it did inspire a new examination of Hindenburg, 1117 00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:01,100 new experiments, and new results. 1118 00:51:01,133 --> 00:51:02,766 {\an1}Wait a little bit... (sparking) 1119 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:04,533 Whoa! 1120 00:51:04,566 --> 00:51:06,000 {\an1}So the science gave us an answer 1121 00:51:06,033 --> 00:51:08,366 to a previously unsolved question 1122 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:09,833 {\an1}that was 80-plus-years-old 1123 00:51:09,866 --> 00:51:11,242 that we thought we'd never be able to answer. 1124 00:51:11,266 --> 00:51:14,933 GIAPIS: There is an opportunity here to use science 1125 00:51:14,966 --> 00:51:17,500 {\an1}to answer an unsolved mystery. 1126 00:51:17,533 --> 00:51:21,533 {\an1}We come up with a new theory, we break it apart into pieces, 1127 00:51:21,566 --> 00:51:23,766 we go to the lab, and we try to validate 1128 00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:25,133 {\an1}every one of these pieces. 1129 00:51:25,166 --> 00:51:28,600 NARRATOR: Yet no matter how many questions we answer 1130 00:51:28,633 --> 00:51:31,133 {\an1}about the details of what happened, 1131 00:51:31,166 --> 00:51:33,366 {\an1}it's the image of Hindenburg 1132 00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:36,666 {\an1}that never loses its grip on our imagination. 1133 00:51:36,700 --> 00:51:40,233 {\an1}Today, we're used to seeing horrible stuff on television. 1134 00:51:40,266 --> 00:51:45,033 {\an1}People in 1937 were not used to seeing a disaster 1135 00:51:45,066 --> 00:51:46,333 {\an1}with their own eyes. 1136 00:51:46,366 --> 00:51:48,966 {\an1}And to see this airship filled with people 1137 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,866 {\an1}burn and be destroyed in a matter of seconds 1138 00:51:52,900 --> 00:51:55,433 was really shocking and dramatic. 1139 00:51:55,466 --> 00:51:58,233 {\an1}I think the fact that this disaster was caught on film 1140 00:51:58,266 --> 00:52:00,466 {\an1}is why we still think of it today. 1141 00:52:00,500 --> 00:52:05,333 ♪ 1142 00:52:32,433 --> 00:52:35,900 {\an8}♪ 1143 00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:52,800 {\an8}ANNOUNCER: To order this program on DVD, visit ShopPBS 1144 00:52:52,833 --> 00:52:56,233 {\an7}or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 1145 00:52:56,266 --> 00:52:59,233 {\an7}Episodes of "NOVA" are available with Passport. 1146 00:52:59,266 --> 00:53:02,900 {\an7}"NOVA" is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 1147 00:53:02,933 --> 00:53:05,866 {\an8}♪