Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Helium: Enjoy up to 45% off Sierro today! tinyurl.com/5n759rrn
In March 2026, one Iranian missile took out 33% of the world's helium supply. America sold its 100-year-old strategic reserve 20 months earlier — for less than the cost of a B-2 bomber.
This is the story of how the most strategically critical industrial gas on Earth — the one that cools every MRI machine, powers every AI chip, pressurizes every Falcon 9 rocket, and keeps the James Webb Space Telescope alive — ended up dependent on a single Persian Gulf chokepoint, at the exact moment the United States was spending half a trillion dollars to bring semiconductor manufacturing home.
We follow the helium supply chain from the 1925 Helium Act, through the 1996 Helium Privatization Act, to the $423 million sale of America's 100-year-old strategic reserve on June 27, 2024 — exactly 20 months and 25 days before Iranian missiles hit Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex on March 18, 2026.
Then we explain why helium can't be substituted, why "helium-free" MRIs still use helium, and why a Seattle startup just signed a contract to mine helium-3 from the surface of the Moon.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Missile That Took Out 33% of Global Helium
0:45 What Helium Actually Does (And Why You've Never Noticed)
3:30 The March 2026 Strike on Ras Laffan
6:30 The 20-Month Window: America Sold Its Reserve
10:30 The Quantum Reason Helium Has No Substitute
13:00 The Race to Refill (Yes, Including the Moon)
15:30 Why 1925 Congress Was Right
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Helium: Enjoy up to 45% off Sierro today! tinyurl.com/5n759rrn
In March 2026, one Iranian missile took out 33% of the world's helium supply. America sold its 100-year-old strategic reserve 20 months earlier — for less than the cost of a B-2 bomber.
This is the story of how the most strategically critical industrial gas on Earth — the one that cools every MRI machine, powers every AI chip, pressurizes every Falcon 9 rocket, and keeps the James Webb Space Telescope alive — ended up dependent on a single Persian Gulf chokepoint, at the exact moment the United States was spending half a trillion dollars to bring semiconductor manufacturing home.
We follow the helium supply chain from the 1925 Helium Act, through the 1996 Helium Privatization Act, to the $423 million sale of America's 100-year-old strategic reserve on June 27, 2024 — exactly 20 months and 25 days before Iranian missiles hit Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex on March 18, 2026.
Then we explain why helium can't be substituted, why "helium-free" MRIs still use helium, and why a Seattle startup just signed a contract to mine helium-3 from the surface of the Moon.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Missile That Took Out 33% of Global Helium
0:45 What Helium Actually Does (And Why You've Never Noticed)
3:30 The March 2026 Strike on Ras Laffan
6:30 The 20-Month Window: America Sold Its Reserve
10:30 The Quantum Reason Helium Has No Substitute
13:00 The Race to Refill (Yes, Including the Moon)
15:30 Why 1925 Congress Was Right
》》》SUPPORT THE SHOW!《《《
Become a MEMBER! twobit.link/Member
Our Podcast! twobit.link/Podcast
Join our Newsletter! twobit.link/Newsletter
Join our Discord! twobit.link/Discord
Buying a Tesla? twobit.link/Tesla
》》》OUR PARTNERS《《《
Protect Yourself Online: twobit.link/DeleteMe
》》》GOING SOLAR?《《《
Energy Sage for Solar ⟫ twobit.link/EnergySage
》》》COMPANY OUTREACH 《《《
Sponsor A Video! sponsors@twobit.media
》》》CONNECT WITH US 《《《
Twitter 》 twitter.com/TwoBitDaVinci
Facebook 》 facebook.com/twobitdavinci
Instagram 》instagram.com/twobitdavinci
