If you think of helium, you are probably thinking of party balloons and squeaky voices. That doesn't do the element justice. It has a large number of technical and industrial applications, and is the second most common element in the universe. On Earth, though, it is pretty scarce, and the fact that it is lighter than air and doesn’t react with other elements creates the perfect conditions for a much later discovery compared to other elements. A discovery that needed not just a solar eclipse, but also a deadly volcano to come to fruition. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

On August 18, 1868, a total solar eclipse stretched from the Horn of Africa to Oceania. The eclipse has been called " The King of Siam's eclipse ” bec

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