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CW1DR5H5I64A t1_irs4t7l wrote

Reply to comment by byebyecivilrights in CNN ‘deeply regrets’ distress caused by report on Thailand nursery killings by darthatheos

The Hindenburg crash only killed 35 people. But we all still remember it almost a hundred years later like it was some kind of massive historical event.

I feel like if that happened today it might get one segment and then the next day/week everyone would forget about it.

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theMTNdewd t1_irscb95 wrote

I think the video is 95% of the reason why it's so remembered. If there wasn't video, especially without that raw narration by the newscaster who's witnessing it ("oh the humanity") it wouldn't be as impactful and memorable as it was.

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MississippiJoel t1_irsd9kq wrote

Minor historical nitpick here, but the audio you're referring to was a radio broadcast. Moving pictures didn't have sound in those days; someone else just paired the two together later.

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MississippiJoel t1_irsdyle wrote

Historically, it's because it changed air travel. Airships were converted to using the non-combustible helium instead of hydrogen almost instantly.

But even that point aside, like the titanic, like the supposed war of the worlds riot, like the great fires of Chicago here and London over there, each great catastrophe gets one chance to completely knock us senseless. It's only by the subsequent ones that we start going "yeah, I knew that was possible. Wonder why they didn't prepare?"

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CW1DR5H5I64A t1_irt6uky wrote

The vast majority of Airships already used helium. All of the US navy Air Ships stationed at Lakehurst Naval Air Station (where the crash happened) all used helium.

The Hindenburg (and other German airships) only used Hydrogen because of sanctions from WW1.

They knew it was dangerous, but they weren’t allowed access to the safer helium.

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