The most famous (in fact, the only famous) accident involving hydrogen directly was the Hindenburg disaster that occurred in Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937. 35 people died in the tragedy.

> 27 deaths from jumping from the burning airship in mid-air.

> 8 deaths from burning upholstery or diesel fumes.

The most recent research, carried out by Addison Bain, a retired NASA hydrogen specialist, shows that the detonation was caused by the high-volatility paint that was used to paint the outside of the balloon - akin to coating it with rocket fuel.

Although the hydrogen burned once the Zeppelin had caught fire, the 62 people who stayed on board and avoided the toxic smoke from the furnishings all survived. Bain points out:

> As documented in film coverage of the fire, the Hindenburg continued to fly as it was burning. Had hydrogen been escaping and burning, the airship would have crashed to the ground like a rock. The airship finally did drop to the ground as the gas cells were consumed by the fire, but it was a slow landing - indicating that the ship was still buoyant.

> Colorized photos, with colors from eyewitness accounts, show the engulfed Hindenburg in bright yellow flame and billowing smoke. Hydrogen burns clean with no color or smoke.

Source: E-sources special topic: hydrogen by David Hart; Green Energy News