The first quarter of the twentieth century was the golden age for giant passenger airships.  Faster than ocean liners of the day, and far more comfortable and less expensive to operate than fixed wing aircraft of that time, airships ruled the world's skies, unchallenged. 

The 1937 Hindenburg disaster caused worldwide concern for airship safety and brought about the end of the great airships.  Unlike modern airships, the Hindenburg was filled with highly explosive hydrogen gas.  Non-explosive helium is used in all gas-filled airships today. 

Development of commercial fixed wing aircraft with 100 MPH speeds (twice that of the fastest airships) and extended flight range sealed the fate of large passenger airships.

The blimp as an advertising medium  began in 1925 when the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. Other Goodyear
airships followed. Most were named after winners of the famed America's Cup yacht race.  Paul Litchfield, Goodyear Chairman of the Board, was a sailing enthusiast.  He saw blimps as giant sailing ships of the sky. 

Over the years, Goodyear built more than 300 blimps for the United States military. The U.S. Army withdrew from its airship program in 1930, but the Navy operated airships until their program was phased out in 1962.  For more than seventy years, the words blimp and Goodyear were nearly synonymous. To keep its unique corporate identity, Goodyear built advertising airships exclusively for Goodyear company use. 

After remaining unchallenged for more than thirty years, in the 1970's Goodyear faced new competition. English airship builder, Airship Industries and German manufacturer WDL introduced a new generation of advertising airships.  As design technology improved, the need for larger payloads diminished. 

In 1987, the American Blimp Corporation was born.  ABC "Lightships" were smaller in size and more simple in design than any existing commercial airships. 

The Lightship A-50 prototype made its maiden flight in 1988.  The ship was 123 feet long, 70 feet shorter than the Fuji Photo and Goodyear blimps.  Internal illumination allowed ABC Lightships to offer full color logos, day or night, with operating costs substantially below competing airships.  At about the same time demand for more airships, to be used as aerial camera  platforms for golf tournaments and other televised events, emerged around the globe. 

That first flight took place more than three decades ago.  As the company grew, ABC developed a full family of advertising and surveillance airships ranging in size from the small A-60 to the massive A-170. 

In Recent years, more than twenty commercial advertising blimps could be seen floating across skies on every Continent except Antartica.  Eighteen of those airships were built by American Blimp Corporation.   Most active commercial airships are listed on the Worldwide Airship Directory.

On July 31, 2012, Van Wagner Communications LLC, a leading media company based in New York City, acquired American Blimp Corporation and its subsidiaries.