From the Archives

The late Thornton Gerrish ’37 used his Kodak Brownie camera to shoot this photo of the Hindenburg airship as it flew over Princeton’s campus May 6, 1937, shortly before it caught fire while docking in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 36 people. The Hindenburg was destroyed within one minute and turned public opinion against travel by commercial airship or dirigible. Haden Gerrish ’79 submitted the photo, and after collaborating with his brother, Campbell ’73, recalled that their father was shooting from the window of his Pyne Hall dorm room in the direction of Henry Hall.