This Day in History August 18, 1868

By Ruth on August 18, 2013 in history, science
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Although helium is the second most abundant gas in the universe, it is not a gas that overly prevalent on this earth.  On this date in 1868, French astronomer Pierre Jules Janssen discovered helium during a solar eclipse in India.  Interestingly enough, another astronomer 5000 miles away was discovering the same thing–Joseph Norman Lockyer.  Both reports arrived at the French Academy on the same day, so science credits both with the discovery although Janssen was chronologically first.  I know that we tend to think that helium is important for dental surgery and floating balloons, but it has a lot more uses than that.  When it is supercooled, it makes an ideal refrigerant.  It is a rare gas in earth, but it is essential to MRI machines and was used in rocket fuel for the Apollo missions.

For more info:

http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0818/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium

http://www.universetoday.com/53563/who-discovered-helium/

http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153470/

http://famousdaily.com/history/helium-discovered-astronomer-pierre-jules-cesar-janssen.html

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RuthView all posts by Ruth
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” — Franz Kafka Ruth is an inspirational entertainment journalist who instinctively sees the best in all and seeks to share universal beauty, love and positivity. She is an artist who leads with her heart and gives readers a glimpse of the best of this world through the masterful use of the written word. Ruth was born in Tacoma, Washington but now calls Yelm, Washington her home. She lives on five acres with her parents, a dog, two miniature goats, cats and a teenage daughter who is a dynamic visual artist herself. Ruth interviews fellow artists both inside and outside of the film/television industry. At the core of all she does is the strength of her faith.

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