Influences by Governments in the Past

My recent blogs had to do with major failings of government and influential members of the public of the past, in not understanding the need of grand programs to achieve urgent goals. Something comparable to our contemporary “landing-on-the-moon” project. 
 
There were occasional bright advances. Example: By the early 1700s it was clear that accurate position measurements at sea were essential. The British Board of Longitude brilliantly offered a then-gigantic prize of 20,000 pounds to anyone who could devise an instrument to measure longitude at sea. An English clockmaker was able to do this after much diligent effort and enterprise.  

An obvious lesson when government spends more on questionable entitlements and less on space opportunities. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)