The Graf Zeppelin, a German passenger-carrying airship, made its first flight in September 1928. It became the most successful and famous airship ever built, making over 590 flights and circumnavigating the globe. The Graf Zeppelin was a symbol of German technological prowess and the glamour of transatlantic travel in the pre-Hindenburg era.

The Graf Zeppelin, a floating symbol of luxury and modernity, appeared in the literature and poetry of the time as a romantic and awe-inspiring sight. It captured the spirit of the 'Jazz Age' and the potential for international travel. Writers often used the airship as a symbol of both technological progress and the potential for disaster.