Voting Station

Max Pruss

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Aviator

The Resume

    (September 13, 1891-November 28, 1960)
    Born in Sgonn, East Prussia (now Zgon, Poland)
    Crew member of the Graf Zeppelin (1928-36) and Hindenburg (1936-37)
    Captain of the Hindenburg on its last voyage (May 3-6, 1937)

Why he might be annoying:

    He joined the Nazi Party.
    Hugo Eckener, in his investigation of the Hindenburg disaster, concluded that the sharp turns Pruss ordered during the airship's approach to the mooring mast caused a bracing wire to snap, puncturing a hydrogen gas cell.
    He spent the rest of his life unsuccessfully advocating for a revival of zeppelin travel.

Why he might not be annoying:

    One bracing wire tested after the disaster broke at 70% of its rated load, so, if Eckener's theory was right, the problem may not have been that Pruss put too much stress on the bracing wires but that the wires were substandard.
    He rushed into the burning wreckage looking for survivors until rescuers forcibly restrained him.
    He suffered such severe burns that he was given last rights.
    Although he survived, he suffered extensive scarring and had to be outfitted with a prosthetic nose.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 18 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 40.91% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying