Here in the Midwest, summer is in full swing, and we're getting ready to enjoy our Independence Day festivities on July 4th. We've been nervously watching gas prices for several weeks now, wondering how they will affect our travel plans for the long weekend. We Americans have always enjoyed our tremendous mobility, so much so that we take it for granted. On many levels, that mobility symbolizes our collective independence and freedom. It's hard to imagine life today without the ease of travel.
New technologies make a huge difference, of course.
For example, on the flights I recently took to and from Australia, we had access to a real-time map which showed the exact location of our plane during the journey. It was exciting to see our progress on those 14-hour flights between L.A. and Sydney. At that time in history, the secret to developing a reliable way of tracking longitude had not yet been discovered. Without an understanding of both latitude and longitude, sailing anywhere in the world was an iffy proposition and dangerous at best. John Harrison's passion and devotion to developing the timepiece that solved the longitude problem helped make the world a better place.