Heinrich Kubis

Heinrich Kubis (16 June 1888 – 1979) was a German professional waiter known for serving as the world's first flight attendant[1] and for surviving the Hindenburg disaster.

[2] In March 1912, Kubis began attending to passengers on the LZ 10 Schwaben during flights from Berlin to Friedrichshafen.

[3] He thereby preceded the debut of the first female flight attendant, Ellen Church, by eighteen years.

On the Hindenburg Kubis was not only a flight attendant but the manager of the entire waitstaff, overseeing fifteen cooks and waiters.

[5] He was responsible for confiscating cigarette lighters and matches from passengers as they boarded the aircraft, stating, "We Germans don't fool around with hydrogen.

Heinrich Kubis (back row, fourth from right), pictured with other survivors of the Hindenburg