Hydrogen vs. Helium
You’ve heard of a hydrogen bomb, but have you heard of a helium bomb? Probably not. For good reason.
Hydrogen is much more explosive than helium. Helium is in the inert gas category (the far right of the Periodic Table). Also known as the noble gases, these gases are pretty calm and quiet. Some are also deadly (like radon), but it takes a lot for them to explode on you. Helium has almost the same buoyancy abilities as hydrogen (just 8.5% less lifting force) but is much safer. Some people had to learn about the volatility of hydrogen the hard way (the Hindenburg disaster). But others counted on it: those who engineered the H-Bomb. And if you’re talking about radioactivity, helium produces little to no radioactivity, whereas hydrogen… well, we know what happened there.
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Shortage Stops Nebraska Football Tradition
They haven't taken the air out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's football, but they are taking the helium out of the touchdown balloons, a tradition that dates to the 1940s.
The Memorial Stadium tradition of Huskers' fans releasing thousands of red helium-filled balloons after the first touchdown will end at least temporarily after the first home game this year because of a global helium shortage.
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