By Tom Mongelli
An explosion that shook the world and changed the course of aviation is commemorated May 6th at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. It was on that site, 72 years ago to the day, that the German airship Hindenburg ignited into a massive ball of flame during docking on an otherwise routine trans-Atlantic journey.
Members of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society memorialize the 35 passengers and crew members who died that day, along with Navy and Army airship casualties and enlistees who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The tragedy is captured forever in film footage and live radio reports by Chicago reporter Herb Morrison. Society President Carl Jablonski recalls that capturing video was still in its infancy, and Morrison was experimenting with the technology. More interestingly, he says, the coverage could have been much greater.
"There were a lot of other photographers...assigned," Jablonski says. "'Aw, this is just another landing.' Half of them didn't even show up. There were guys sitting in bars in New Yorik City."
Jablonsky says the incident remains endlessly fascinating, judging from an upsurge of inquiries he's received for data from high school and college students in the past year. Finding shards and relics on site, to this day, remains the stuff of local legend.
The observance starts at 7 pm.
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