The Hindenburg's predecessor, the hydrogen-filled LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin," flew over a million miles over its 12 year career, circumnavigating the globe (making the first non-stop flight over the Pacific of any aircraft), visiting the Arctic, and making 143 Atlantic crossings, all with a perfect passenger safety record. The airship actually had a smoking room, isolated from possible hydrogen leaks by a positive pressure system.

A three-foot model of this beautiful airship hangs from my office ceiling. It's also a reminder that disaster sells better than success.

The airship's spectacular career was pretty much obliterated by the Hindenburg disaster, and it was decommissioned around 1940, and broken up for scrap to build airplanes.

The Graf Zeppelin was longer and narrower than the Hindenburg. The bulkier Hindenburg had been designed for helium, but Germany was unable to obtain it from the U.S. (the only large supplier) because of war issues. So it flew with hydrogen. So it goes.

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