Lighter-Than-Air History: Rigid Airships

2247. LIGHTER-THAN-AIR HISTORY: RIGID AIRSHIPS (1947-USA). A WAR DEPARTMENT FILM. The history of rigid airships is a story of excitement and adventure. This interesting film is crammed with everything you could ever want to know about these ships (which are Richard E. Byrd more familiarly known as blimps or zeppelins). When most people think of rigid airships they recall the tragedy of the Hindenburg, the German-made commercial airship that caught fire and crashed over Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937. However, the Hindenburg disaster is but one chapter in the story of rigid airships. That saga dates back to 1897 and the creation of what was technically the first zeppelin. With precise detail, the film charts the scientific and technological development of airships, You’ll leam about the various blimps constructed before World War I and how the Germans and then the British used them during that war. You’ll see footage of the world’s first transatlantic zeppelin crossing in 1919. There’s footage of the pioneering American airship Shenandoah, which was completed in 1923. There also is footage of other vintage American ships. Two of the more notable ones are the sister ships Akron and Macon. The narration ends with a description of proposed airships of the future and the role they might play in commerce. It’s intriguing to see how much of what is said ultimately came true. 41 minutes. Documentary