“Helium’s journey from a useless oddity, through the great rigid airships of the 1930s and the submarine-hunting blimps of World War II, to an essential tool in industry, medicine and research” are examined by the author. In 1905, two years after Dexter’s “howling gasser,” a sample was examined by Kansas University chemists David McFarland and Hamilton Cady, who for the first time discovered significant amounts of helium in natural gas. Taylor describes the creation of the noble gas helium (He) during the big bang, its chemical properties, uses, and conservation. This led to a fascination with this unique element, and to the writing of this book. Naval Airship Program and various civilian airship (blimp) projects, where he often flew beneath as much as a quarter million cubic feet of helium, and became involved with its logistics, characteristics and safety issues. Taylor began his career as a flight test engineer, working in the United Kingdom and in the United States on the vertical-takeoff-and-landing Harrier fighter (the U.S. Together, they tell the story of the second most abundant element in the universe. Taylor has written a detailed and readable history of helium in 402 pages organized in six sections, including 358 photos and illustrations.

Once used in airships, helium today is a vital resource in cryogenics, according to John Taylor’s 2022 book. The concentration of helium in natural gas, usually very low, can reach up to 7 percent. Taylor in his 2022 book, Helium: Its Creation, Discovery, History, Production, Properties and Uses. More attempts were made without success, and eventually the crowd left, their dreams shattered,” explains John A. To the crowd’s dismay, the gas extinguished the hay. “Darkness came, the mayor made a speech, and he called for a bale of burning hay to be tossed onto the well. Everyone anticipated petroleum riches similar to towns in Ohio and Indiana, where plentiful natural gas supplies had attracted manufacturers (see Indiana Natural Gas Boom). In May 1903, a well drilled on a farm near Dexter, Kansas, erupted as a “howling gasser,” and town residents gathered to celebrate the discovery of a natural gas field. Finally, historic petroleum-related images are featured in Oilfield Artists.

Encouraged by its members and website visitors, AOGHS also has added a small list of oil fiction books. Giddens’s 1938 The Birth of the Oil Industry (with introduction by Ida Tarbell) are more rare. The AOGHS listing below, limited as it is (for now), offers some classic 18th century texts that are available online other oil history books, like Paul H. For books, the numerous professional societies and associations (see national and state contacts) offer good recommendations. This addition to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society’s energy education mission offers links to helpful resources relating to petroleum history.

The prize book oil