The MythBusters The MythBusters

MythBusters Episode 70: Hindenburg Mystery

Premier Date: January 10, 2007

The Hindenburg was destroyed by the flammable compound used to paint the bladder, not by the hydrogen gas within.

busted

The MythBusters built 1/50th scale Hindenburg models to test this myth. The model that contained hydrogen gas burned twice as quickly as the model without hydrogen. While the painted skin did burn vigorously, it is not what caused the Hindenburg to burn as quickly as it did.

If you are being chased by a crocodile, you can escape it by running in a zig-zag pattern.

busted

The MythBusters were not successful at luring a crocodile into a chase. They first tried using a baited dummy suspended from a rig, then a robot, and finally they actually held the bait in their hands in an attempt to get the crocs to chase them. The myth was busted because the premise is bad: crocodiles are ambush predators so they aren’t likely to chase you in the first place.