1929

On August 19, 1929, Tokyoites’ gazes were turned skyward to watch the arrival of the LZ-127 , the 237-meter-long dirigible that brought went on to become the most successful dirigible in aviation history, logging over 1.5 million kilometers and carrying more than 13,000 passengers without incident; private staterooms, fine dining, and a luxurious salon ensured that its well-heeled clientele traveled in style. Sadly, the era of the commercial airship ended in 1937 when the ’s sister ship, the , burst into flames while attempting to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Retired one month after the disaster, the served briefly as a museum in Frankfurt until it was scrapped for fighter plane parts in 1940.