Zeppelin, Ferdinand, Graf von

Zeppelin, Ferdinand, Graf von (1838-1917), German military officer, who developed the rigid dirigible, a lighter-than-air vehicle that became known as the zeppelin. Zeppelin was born in Konstanz and educated at the Ludwigsburg Military Academy and the University of Tübingen. He entered the Prussian army in 1858 and went to the United States in 1863 to work as a military observer for the Union army. Zeppelin served in the Franco-German War of 1870 to 1871; he retired in 1891 with the rank of brigadier general.

Zeppelin took a keen interest in balloon flight, and devoted himself to the design and construction of airships. He completed his first rigid dirigible in 1900. Despite many setbacks, Zeppelin continued his research and in 1910 one of his airships provided the first commercial air service for passengers. During World War I, zeppelins were used in German air raids but were found to be vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. After the war they were widely used in commercial flights. However, safety problems—the craft were filled with flammable hydrogen gas—led to accidents, including the destruction of the Hindenburg in 1937, and these brought an end to the zeppelin's popularity.