Helium, a rare gas element, was detected on the Sun in 1868 before being discovered on Earth in 1895. A large quantity of the world's commercial helium is found within a 250-mile radius of Amarillo, and because it is linked to the natural gas industry, most helium is produced as a by-product distilled during natural gas refinement. Transporting helium in small containers was impractical and costly for large users, so in 1961 Jack B. Kelley invented the Kelley Jumbo Tube Trailer, designed to efficiently carry and deliver 120,000 cubic feet of helium to customers, and Jack B. Kelley, Inc. later became the industry's leading helium carrier across the continent. Helium was named by Sir Norman Lockyer in 1868 after he observed the spectrum of the sun's light during a solar eclipse and suggested the name from "Helios," the Greek word for sun. When transported as a liquid, helium must be cooled to -452°F so it can be moved in high volume in double-walled thermos-like cryogenic vessels around the globe; when transported as a gas, it is compressed to 2,800 pounds per square inch in cylindrical tubes mounted on a chassis to form a multi-tube trailer.
