On May 6, 1937, Hindenburg burst into flames. The world’s largest zeppelin was totally destroyed in only thirty-four seconds. The iconic footage of the first major air disaster caught on film is seared into our memories along with Herb Morison’s famous words “Oh the Humanity.” But Hindenburg’s legacy is more than its disastrous end. Learn about life aboard the famous zeppelin and imagine yourself enjoying a transatlantic voyage during the heyday of airship travel.
Cheryl R. Ganz is a Smithsonian Institution Curator Emerita following her retirement as the Chief Curator of Philately at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and as lead curator of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery, the world's largest postage stamp gallery. She currently serves on the USPS Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee, the committee that selects subjects and approves designs for U.S. postage stamps. She specializes in zeppelin memorabilia and mail worldwide, especially from U.S. airships, the 1933 Graf Zeppelin Chicago flight, and Hindenburg. Ganz earned a PhD in U.S. history from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her publications include Pots of Promise: Mexicans and Pottery at Hull-House, 1920-40; The 1933 Chicago World's Fair: A Century of Progress; Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression; Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic; Pacific Exchange: China & U.S. Mail; and Every Stamp Tells a Story: The National Philatelic Collection.
Admission is $15.00 for nonmembers, $10.00 for members. Talk begins at 2:00pm.
