<P> In May and June 1936, Hindenburg made surprise visits to England . In May it was on a flight from America to Germany when it flew low over the West Yorkshire town of Keighley . A parcel was then thrown overboard and landed in the High Street . Two boys, Alfred Butler and Jack Gerrard, retrieved it and found the contents to be a bouquet of carnations, a small silver cross and a letter on official note paper dated May 22, 1936 . The letter read:' To the finder of this letter, please deposit these flowers and cross on the grave of my dear brother, Lt. Franz Shulte, 1 Garde Regt, zu fuss, POW in Skipton cemetery in Keighley near Leeds . Many thanks for your kindness . John P. Shulte, the first flying priest' . Historian Oliver Denton speculates that the June visit may have had a more sinister purpose: to observe the industrial heartlands of Northern England . </P> <P> In July 1936, Hindenburg completed a record Atlantic round trip between Frankfurt and Lakehurst in 98 hours and 28 minutes of flight time (52: 49 westbound, 45: 39 eastbound). Many famous passengers flew on the Hindenburg including boxer Max Schmeling making his triumphant return to Germany in June, 1936 after his world heavyweight title knockout of Joe Louis at Yankee Stadium . In the 1936 season, the airship flew 191,583 miles (308,323 km) and carried 2,798 passengers and 160 tons of freight and mail, encouraging the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Company to plan the expansion of its airship fleet and transatlantic service . </P> <P> The airship was said to be so stable a pen or pencil could be balanced on end atop a tablet without falling . Its launches were so smooth that passengers often missed them, believing the airship was still docked to its mooring mast . A one way fare between Germany and the United States was US $400; Hindenburg passengers were affluent, usually entertainers, noted sportsmen, political figures, and leaders of industry . </P> <P> Hindenburg was used again for propaganda when it flew over the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on August 1 during the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games . Shortly before the arrival of Adolf Hitler to declare the Games open, the airship crossed low over the packed stadium while trailing the Olympic flag on a long weighted line suspended from its gondola . On September 14, the ship flew over the annual Nuremberg Rally . </P>

Why did the hindenburg use hydrogen instead of helium