The Hindenburg disaster was an airship accident that occurred on May 6, 1937, at the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst in New Jersey not far from New York City. The German zeppelin Hindenburg was trying to land when suddenly caught fire while still in the air which resulted in the death of 35 people in addition to one fatality on the ground. The Zeppelin Company had heavily promoted the crossing so many journalists were already there when the disaster happened and it was captured on newsreel film and in an equally iconic photograph. Reporter at the scene Herb Morrison with WLS Radio was completely shocked, breaking in tears and famously exclaimed: "Oh, the humanity!". His radio commentary was later synchronized with the film footage.
The Hindenburg disaster has become one of the most famous 20th-century events and has been referenced in The Simpsons numerous times.
References
Episodes
Picture
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Season
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Episode number
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Episode name
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Reference
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2
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25
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"The Way We Was"
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A poster featuring the album artwork of the 1969 rock album Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin is seen next to a pin-up in Homer's room. This album cover features a black-and-white image of the burning Hindenburg airship.
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3
|
54
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"Dog of Death"
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When Mr. Burns shows Santa's Little Helper violent film scenes to turn him into a vicious watchdog, one of the clips is footage from the Hindenburg disaster.
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4
|
63
|
"Lisa the Beauty Queen"
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When Barney crashes the Duff blimp into a tower, it bursts into flames, burning up like the Hindenburg. Kent Brockman shouts: "Oh! The humanity!".
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7
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143
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"Bart the Fink"
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Bart gets a Hindenburg-themed checkbook from the bank, and it has the words "Oh, the humanity!" printed on top.
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11
|
229
|
"Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"
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The Hindenburg disaster was published on the front page of the Herald.
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13
|
289
|
"Little Girl in the Big Ten"
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The color picture on the back wall behind Lisa at the Cafe Kafka, depicts the Hindenburg disaster.
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16
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354
|
"Thank God It's Doomsday"
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The skeleton of the crashed Duff blimp, with flames, is a reference to the Hindenburg disaster.
|
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17
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378
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"Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play"
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When Buck Mitchell calls the Duff Blimp crashing the "worst blimp crash ever", Grampa responds with "too soon!", a reference to the Hindenburg disaster.
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19
|
408
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"Funeral for a Fiend"
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When Scratchy is killed in a zeppelin explosion in the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon Spherical on 34th Street, Itchy remarks, "Oh, the hilarity!".
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22
|
485
|
"500 Keys"
|
As his blimp explodes, Chief Wiggum screams: "Oh! The zoomanity!".
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26
|
569
|
"Waiting for Duffman"
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The book Surviving a Blimp Fire has a cover very similar to the Hindenburg disaster photo taken in 1937.
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34
|
740
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"My Life as a Vlog"
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One of Martin's video backgrounds is of the Hindenburg disaster.
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Games
Comics
Books
External links