The pioneers of flight have captured public imagination, but the history of aviation is a catalogue of human tragedy and technical disaster. The catastrophic loss of the Hindenburg airship, and the dramatic explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle highlight the risks of man's quest to fly. Based on eyewitness accounts, this is a dramatized reconstruction of events as they happened, on two days that shook the world. It is the sixth of May 1937, and as the Spanish civil war wages on, Guernica is bombed by the German Luftwaffe. In London, preparations are underway for the coronation of King George VI. In America, Howard Hughes has flown from Los Angeles to New York in a world record, seven and a half hours, and at Lakehurst, New Jersey, another aviation sensation is keenly awaited.

It is dawn, on May the 6th, 1937. At Lakehurst Naval Air Station, 31-year-old radio reporter Herbert Morrison and his engineer Charles Nelson arrive at the base. Neither man is aware of it yet, but by this time tomorrow, they will have become a part of the events that will define the rest of their lives. In doing so, they will make history.

850 miles away, the great airship Hindenburg is approaching the coast of Nova Scotia. The size of four football pitches and almost as large as the ill-fated SS Titanic, Hindenburg is the largest and most luxurious airship ever built and the pride of the German Zeppelin fleet. She is due to arrive in New Jersey in one hour, but strong headwinds during the flight and bad weather ahead have forced the crew to take a more northerly route delaying arrival by at least 8 hours. The Hindenburg will not arrive this morning. The northerly route has afforded passengers and crew a spectacular view of icebergs in the cold water of the North Atlantic. Among those enjoying the scene is noted vaudeville entertainer Joseph Spah, who is looking forward to seeing his wife and young family later today.

Spah is a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic due to his death-defying balancing act. His was the last-minute booking on this trip. He has been performing at the Scala in Berlin, and he's now booked to appear at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

word to remember:

vaudeville:Stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick turns, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances. 舞台杂耍