Crowds greet Graf Zeppelin

Aug. 26, 1929: Tens of thousands showed up at Los Angeles Municipal Airport to witness the arrival from Germany of the Graf Zeppelin, one of several stops on the giant airship’s round-the-world tour.

“When the Zeppelin first appeared over the field at 1:50 a.m. at a height of about 1,000 feet, a tremendous shout that was distinctly heard in the ship broke from the crowd of 50,000 persons who had waited all night for its arrival,” The Times reported.

“Then the announcer at the speech amplifier asked for silence so that the peculiar drone of the Zeppelin’s motors could be heard clearly.

“The crowd was as colorful as any ever seen in Southern California. Japanese geisha girls in native costumes mingled with former German soldiers garbed in their wartime uniforms,” the newspaper said.

“There were scores of celebrities in the throngs that gained admittance to the field, but as their names were whispered about they were given only a passing glance by the crowds who were interested in the giant silver airship that swayed back and forth slightly with the vagaries of the wind.”