Hindenburg’s Insurance Policy on Display at NYC Fire Museum

A New York City museum’s collection includes the insurance policy written for the Hindenburg, which exploded over New Jersey 80 years ago this weekend.

The Daily News reports officials at the New York City Fire Museum in Lower Manhattan unveiled the document Thursday, two days before the 80th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster.

The German airship exploded and burned as it arrived in Lindenhurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, after a cross-Atlantic flight. Thirty-five people were killed while the other 62 people on board survived the fiery explosion. A worker on the ground also died.

The museum’s 10-page Lloyd’s of London policy for the Hindenburg lists underwriters and insurance brokers. The policy was valued at 6 million Reichsmarks, which in 1937 amounted to nearly $15 million. According to Forbes, that’s about $80 million in current dollars.