Helium was discovered in the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the sun, with its one-hundredth anniversary commemorated in 1968, and traces of helium on earth were first announced in 1895. Four time columns were filled with books, documents, and artifacts to tell future generations about life in 1968, then sealed in a helium atmosphere after their caps were welded on, to be opened twenty-five, fifty, one hundred, and one thousand years after filling. Helium occurs in commercial volume in natural gas produced since 1918 from wells in the Texas Panhandle, and in 1929 the first of several helium processing plants began operations near Amarillo. Large quantities extracted from natural gas are stored underground northwest of Amarillo as a valuable long-term supply. Once used only in lighter-than-air craft, helium now serves important needs in industry, science, and the nation's military and space programs.
