A few things I learned about The Hindenburg:

• Only 35 of the 97 people on board died. There were others who survived with serious injuries, but many people had just minor cuts and bruises.
• The company that operated The Hindenburg had a 100% safety record prior to this incident and had been in operation for over 20 years.
• The “real” cause of the disaster is not known. There are several theories, but none that have been definitively proven and accepted. Either way, using Hydrogen didn’t help.
• However, one of the causes was definitely pilot error. Airships were very susceptible to bad weather and wind. The Hindenburg was 12 hours behind schedule due to a strong head wind over the Atlantic. They had a return flight of some high rollers that needed to make it to King George VI’s coronation in London. So the pilot took some risks and landed in less than perfect weather. The pilot was under intense pressure from Hitler to make the Germans look good. Any delays would be an embarrassment for Germany. I’m thinking a fiery explosion was probably worse than a delay.
• Inside the outer shell there were 16 giant cotton bags filled with Hydrogen. The gray outer surface was cotton and linen that was basically painted with aluminum and iron oxide and attached to a frame. The bags of hydrogen were inside. I always thought the thing was like one big balloon just filled up with hydrogen, but that is not the case.

Source: National Geographic Channel