Herb Morrison's Voice

May 6, 1937 - At 7:25 PM Reporter Herb Morrison was watching the Hindenburg as it attempted to dock at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. Suddenly the giant airship burst into flames. 35 of the 97 people on board died. One crewman on the ground was also killed.

The sound of Morrison's eyewitness account of the disaster was recorded onto a 16-inch wax disc. This legendary recording gave the world a vivid glimpse inside the terrifying spectacle, but it wasn't entirely accurate.

The recording that was broadcast around the world was sped up and Morrison's deep voice was distorted into a much higher register. In 1999 a corrected version of Morrison's recording was broadcast nationally for the first time. If you listen closely you can hear the very beginning of the explosion. The concussion of the shockwave actually made the needle on the recorder jump.

The cause of the explosion remains unknown.