On May 6, 1937, WLS Radio news reporter Herbert Morrison and his engineer Charlie Nielsen were assigned to cover the arrival of the German airship Hindenburg in New Jersey as an experiment in recording news for delayed broadcast. They had no idea they were about to witness and report from one of the worst air disasters in American history.

Morrison's description starts off very calmly, but his emotions get the best of him as the airship bursts into flames right before his eyes:

Thirty five people died in addition to one fatality on the ground.

After this recording ended, Morrison and Nielsen continued reporting on the rescue efforts and interviewing survivors.

The recordings were rushed back to Chicago and broadcast in full later that night. Portions were rebroadcast nationally by the NBC network the next day. It was the first time recordings of a news event were ever broadcast, and also the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast.

While Chicagoans listened to the Hindenburg broadcast on WLS, their favorite team was in Philadelphia, not too far away from the Hindenburg tragedy. It was a nasty rainy day in Philly, but the Cubs had their ace Bill Lee on the mound for them that day. Lee was facing future Cubs teammate Claude Passeau that afternoon.

The umpires were probably happy when Ripper Collins hit a double for the Cubs, knocking in a run in the top of the fifth inning. After giving the Phillies one last chance in the bottom of the fifth, the game was ended by the umpires.

The Cubs needed to get out of town to face Brooklyn the following day, while the Phillies were a team heading nowhere. They ended the season in seventh place, while the Cubs finished only three games behind their arch enemy, the New York Giants.

Claude Passeau was traded to the Cubs in 1939 and became one of their best pitchers; a five time all-star and a hero for pitching a one-hitter in the 1945 World Series.

Herb Morrison left WLS a year later to work for the Mutual Broadcasting System New York flagship station, WOR. He went on to have a long distinguished news career in New York and Pittsburgh.

He was also employed as a technical adviser on the movie that was eventually made about the tragedy (in 1975). Morrison was portrayed by actor Greg Mullavy in the movie, but his original recording was used in the film.