Things you didn’t know about the Empire State Building

Back in the day, blimps were all the rage and people thought they were really going to take off (boom, tish). Unfortunately they turned out to be a bit problematic (see: Hindenburg Disaster) and they didn't become the popular mode of transport everyone hoped.

But builders at the Empire State Building weren't to know that and they put a mast on the building to serve as a mooring post for airships, so that they could dock in Midtown.

The New York Times reports that in 1929, head honcho Alfred E. Smith announced that passengers "would exit the airship down a gangplank, and a mere seven minutes later could be on the street, ready to experience everything Manhattan had to offer."

In 1930 this mock-up pic was released. At the time, no airship had actually docked. It didn't happen until 1931, when a privately-owned zeppelin struggled to dock for just three minutes, in ridiculous winds. It's the only time it happened.