Today is the 76th anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster on May 6, 1937.

Hindenburg was the first airliner to provide scheduled passenger service between the United States and Europe.  The ship made made ten successful round-trip flights between Germany and the U.S. in 1936, as well as flights between Germany and South America.

Hindenburg crashed on its 63rd flight, while landing at Lakehurst, NJ after its first North American crossing of the 1937 season.

The horrific crash was documented by newsreel films and press photographs, making the Hindenburg catastrophe the first major disaster seen by the public.  The giant ship was completely destroyed by fire within 32 seconds and people today are still surprised to learn that most of the passengers and crew survived; of the 97 persons on the ship, 62 survived the disaster.