I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937

On the evening of May 6, 1937, as the Hindenburg prepares to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, a massive explosion tears through the craft, throwing 11-year-old Hugo Ballard to the floor. He struggles to free himself from a pile of fallen passengers and faces a scene of chaos. Flames and thick smoke fill the passenger area as molten metal rains from the ceiling. Hugo calls for his parents and younger sister, Gertie, but the noise drowns him out. He sees other passengers smashing windows and leaping from the burning airship. As the Hindenburg plummets, Hugo crawls across the hot floor, certain he is about to die.

The narrative flashes back three days to May 3, at the airfield in Frankfurt, Germany. As the Ballard family waits for baggage inspection, German guards announce that no matches or lighters are allowed on board. Hugo’s mother expresses nervousness about flying, and his father explains the hydrogen powering the Hindenburg is flammable. He reassures her that it has a good safety record. When she says that she’d rather travel by ship, he notes that the Titanic was also considered safe.