About this photo:

The German Zeppelins crossed back and forth over the Atlantic from the late 1920s into the 1930s. On May 6, 1937, the Zeppelin Hindenburg burst into flames for unexplained reasons killing hundreds. Some believe lightening ignited the helium, some claim to have seen it hit a mooring mast while landing, yet others are convinced it was static electricity caused by friction from the over-weighted blimp.

On this fatal voyage the Hindenburg was carrying over 15 tons of mail. This was well above the safety limit estimated at that point. To further burden the majestic airship, there was a full passenger load of obese executives from Germany’s most powerful cast iron factory. They were bringing with them nearly one ton of cast iron samples to America, as well as nearly 300kg of bratwurts, 550kg of sauerkraut, and 200kg of strudel to tide them over while staying in New York for the weekend. Strangely enough, there was no alcohol on board at the time... it was too dangerous because it was flammable.

Out of the 15 tons of mail, only 41 letters and postcards were ever found. Most severely burnt, a few were delivered to the rightful owners. This postcard was sent to ohn Schoonbrod of New York City. It arrived five days late, but he was still happy to receive it. Ohn’s son, ohn Schoonbrod 2, bequeathed the postcard to the Smithsonian upon his premature death in 1958.

 

About the submitter:

The image of this precious piece of history was sent to us by a Mz. Melissa S. She was a close personal friend of ohn Schoonbrod 2, and thought that by sharing the postcard and his story she could keep his memory alive longer. Even though he was so young when he died, he lived fully and enjoyed every day. Ichigo-ichie was his motto, "one time – one meeting," is how that translates from Japanese. Savor every moment and don't take experiences for granted.