Description:

'OH, THE HUMANITY!' - PRESS MEDAL GIVEN TO HINDENBURG RADIO REPORTER
HERBERT MORRISON (1905-1989) American radio journalist who recorded for broadcast by WLS in Chicago his dramatic report of the Hindenburg crash and fire at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937 - a disaster that killed 35 people. As Morrison described the tragedy, many thought he was having a breakdown - he exclaimed, in part: '...It's fire and it crashing!...This is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world! Oh, it's crashing . . . oh, four or five hundred feet into the sky, and it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. There's smoke, and there's flames, now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers screaming around here!...I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest, it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage...'. Offered here is a very important and very personal relic once owned by Morrison, a medal of sorts given to Morrison by the British newspaper 'News of the World'. The hallmarked silver medal by 'JAW & Co.' measures 1.25 in. in diameter. The obverse bears an enameled crown surmounting crossed a crossed Union Jack and 'Man o' War' white ensign above the somewhat ironic inscription: 'Presented by News of the World for My First Success'. The reverse bears the presentation engraving: 'To Herb Morrison Lakehurst May 6th 1937' which corresponds with the date of the Hindenburg crash. With (soiled and stapled) ribbon, medal tarnished. Undoubtedly, the tabloid at the very least interviewed Morrison immediately after the disaster as his broadcast was quickly distributed internationally and became as famous as it remains today. It was the first time that recordings of a news event were ever broadcast, and also the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast.

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August 16, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000