Today in 1895, German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin received a patent for what he called a “navigable balloon.” His design, later named the zeppelin after him, ushered in a new era of airship flight. Zeppelins were used heavily during the first World War and became popular among tourists and adventurers in the years following. The popularity of zeppelins began to decline in the mid 30’s due to their association with Nazi Germany. On May 6, 1937, arguably the most famous zeppelin, the Hindenburg, burst into flames while landing, killing 36 people. The zeppelin’s popularity quickly dropped in the following months and eventually most of the remaining zeppelins were dismantled. Today they are mostly a novelty, but have become popular in fiction that depicts alternate timelines, such as the TV series Doctor Who and Fringe, and the Fallout video game series.