NYC Fire Museum Displays Hindenburg’s Insurance Policy

May 8, 2017

A New York City museum’s collection includes the insurance policy written for the Hindenburg, which exploded over New Jersey 80 years ago this weekend.

The Daily News reports officials at the New York City Fire Museum in Lower Manhattan unveiled the document Thursday, two days before the 80th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster.

The German airship exploded and burned as it arrived in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, after a cross-Atlantic flight. Thirty-five people were killed while the other 62 people on board survived the fiery explosion. A worker on the ground also died.

The museum’s 10-page Lloyd’s of London policy for the Hindenburg lists underwriters and insurance brokers. The policy was valued at 6 million Reichsmarks, which in 1937 amounted to nearly $15 million. According to Forbes, that’s about $80 million in current dollars.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the site of the Hindenburg crash. The crash occurred in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Topics New Jersey

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Latest Comments

  • September 13, 2020 at 1:07 am
    Johnny's Appledale says:
    Also, $80m dollars is incorrect. By today's estimates, that number is actually $275,000,000, 200x more than the Forbs estimate.
  • May 9, 2017 at 9:26 am
    Larry Goanos says:
    Fact check: It happened in Lakehurst, NJ, not "Lindenhurst."
  • May 8, 2017 at 5:34 pm
    Agent says:
    Since it was full of hydrogen, was there an exclusion for fire, explosion?

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