No we had compressed Helium in the lab and used it for instruments. Liquid He is only seen in specialized facilities. They use it in high energy physics for example and in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Instruments in Chemistry labs. Scientists are not happy with the current helium situation, something they've seen coming for years. They regard balloons and such as a waste of a precious resource.
I have worked with liquid Nitrogen which we occasionally used in truck load lots. It is a lot easier to use since it boils at much higher temps. And we occasionally used liquid Oxygen.
As for the ideal gas laws they were of major importance not only in Chemistry but also in physics and engineering. Much more important than the average persons would suspect.
