The End of an Era

When the Hindenburg (pictured) went down in flames on May 6, 1937, the accident marked the end of an era for airships, searing the public consciousness and raising well-founded safety concerns. But the Hindenburg was far from the largest dirigible-related disaster. More than two-thirds of its 97 passengers and crew survived. Not so for the U.S. Akron. That American craft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on April 4, 1933, killing 73 of the 76 aboard.