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Original footage from May 6, 1937 of the German zeppelin Hindenburg bursting into flames and crashing as it was preparing to land at Lakehurst Naval Base in New Jersey. This was the first major disaster captured on film as it happened. Remarkably, most of the people onboard survived. Of the 97 passesngers and crew, only 35 people perished. (One member of the ground crew was killed too.) The cause of the fire has never been determined. The Hindenburg was doomed once the fire started because it used highly flammable hydrogen as a lift gas. It only took 34 seconds for the ship to burn. This catastrophe effectively ended the era of zeppelin travel.
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Hindenburg
zeppelin
disaster
crash
Added: 30th November 2007
Views: 365
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
 
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The decline and extinction of the passenger pigeon is one of the saddest chapters in natural history. When Europeans first arrived in North America passenger pigeons thrived in the billions. In 1800 they were so plentiful that a pair could be bought for just two cents. They lived in enormous flocks that sometimes overspread 300 square miles. However, by the mid-1800s, loss of habitat and the demand for a cheap source of meat doomed the passenger pigeon to extinction. The last accepted wild passenger pigeon was spotted in 1900. The last passenger pigeon in captivity, a female named Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.
Tags:
passenger
pigeon
extinction
Added: 6th February 2008
Views: 182
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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