The Latest Generation

High - 1714 - The Longitude Prize - Mapping History


Listen Later

In 1714, the British Parliament approved The Longitude Prize, which offered monetary rewards to anyone who could make it possible for ships to effectively determine their longitude. The smallest prize was £10,000 - the equivalent of millions of dollars today. 

 

The Kingdom of Great Britain was created by The Acts of Union  in 1707. Before then, one would properly refer to the English Parliament, and after to the British Parliament. This epsode crosses over that point in time between the start and the end, so the incorrect adjective may have slipped in once or twice. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707

 

The Global Positioning System (GPS) might be considered a comparable sort of infrastructure, but it was created over a long enough period that associating it with a specific Turning is difficult. It also required infrastructure (namely rockets that could put satellites in orbit), and was implemented in short order once those were available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System

 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Latest GenerationBy Patrick Bowman

  • 3.3
  • 3.3
  • 3.3
  • 3.3
  • 3.3

3.3

3 ratings