By 1937 , a number of factors collided to move the United States government to revise its helium policy and create the Helium Act of September 1 , 1937 . New uses for helium were appearing and the U.S. Army and Navy did not require anywhere near the national output . A final impetus was given by the Hindenburg disaster , which may have been prevented had the Germans had access to helium . The act authorized the sale of helium gas not needed by the U.S. government . This ultimately led to an expansion in helium usage in many scientific and commercial industries as the Bureau of Mines also supplied helium to private entities . The passage of this act also allowed non-hostile foreign governments to purchase helium for their own commercial use . When Nazi Germany applied for 18 million cubic feet of helium for public airship travel , this sparked a debate in the U.S. , leading to a refusal
Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
Helium storage and conservation