Discovery to Air WHAT DESTROYED THE HINDENBURG?, 12/16

Related: CURIOSITY, Discovery Channel

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Dozens of theories exist about how the Hindenburg went down during the night of May 6, 1937. Yet three quarters of a century later, there is still no clear answer. Many theories emerged immediately following the crash. Was it a bullet? A static electric charge? A fundamental flaw in its design? Or could it have been an act of sabotage with a bomb?

WHAT DESTROYED THE HINDENBURG? airing Sunday, Dec. 16 at 9 PM E/P on Discovery Channel's CURIOSITY series, conducts experiments never attempted before by building three replicas of the airship and putting the leading theories to the test.

Due to the scale and volume of the Hindenburg - along with the intricacies of its design - no one has been able to provide a satisfactory explanation of how or why the disaster occurred, until now.

In the most ambitious testing program ever undertaken, CURIOSITY attempts to crack the mystery by recreating the disaster. "We're examining and testing every hypothesis in the lab, selecting those that are scientifically possible and taking them outside to test on our huge scale models," said Steve Wolf, one of the lead CURIOSITY investigators. "Testing on this scale has never been attempted."

Few disasters have left such an impression on the world or had such an impact on a single industry. The end of the Hindenburg marked the end of the Golden Age of airship travel. And for the first time ever, CURIOSITY sheds new light on the mystery behind what really happened on board that night.

WHAT DESTROYED THE HINDENBURG? is produced by Blink Films for Discovery Channel. CURIOSITY is overseen by Vice President, Development and Production Howard Swartz and Senior Vice President, Development and Production Simon Andreae. To learn more, go to www.discovery.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery. Intel is a presenting sponsor of WHAT DESTROYED THE HINDENBURG?

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.