Zeppelin, Ferdinand, Graf von, 1838-1917, German army officer and airship inventor and builder. He entered the Prussian army in 1858 and served in the Seven Weeks War and in the Franco-Prussian War. He was an observer with the Union army during the American Civil War. In 1891 he retired from the Prussian army to devote himself to the building of motor-driven airships. He invented the first rigid airship in 1900, and in 1906 built one that had a speed of 30 mi (48 km) per hr. In 1908 he established at Friederichshafen the Zeppelin Foundation for the development of aerial navigation and the manufacture of airships.

Led Zeppelin, English pop music group formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page (1944-), singer Robert Plant (1948-), bassist John Paul Jones (1946-), and drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham (1948-80). Mingling elements of blues, folk, and rock in its performances and recordings, Led Zepplin emerged as one of the most important and successful rock groups of the late 1960s and 70s. Its thunderous beat, passionately raw style, and exaggeratedly bluesy guitar and vocal work made the group a vital part of the development of hard rock and heavy metal and a strong influence on later rock movements. The most famous of the nine albums originally released by the group was an untitled 1971 recording—often called "ZOSO" after the four runes on its cover—that included "Stairway to Heaven." Led Zeppelin disbanded after Bonham's death from alcohol. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Rigid airship of a type designed by the German builder Ferdinand, Graf (count) von Zeppelin (1838–1917). It was a cigar-shaped, trussed, and covered frame supported by internal gas cells, below which hung two external cars with an engine geared to two propellers. The first zeppelin flew in 1900. In World War I zeppelins were used as bombers by Germany. In 1928 the Graf Zeppelin inaugurated transatlantic flight service; it had completed 590 flights by 1937, when the Hindenburg disaster halted such flights.

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