The Longitude Act of 1714 was issued by Parliament in 1714 created a series of large cash prizes for a means of determining time with the precision required for ocean navigation.
The discovery of how to measure longitude accurately was among the important discoveries of the 1600s and 1700s.
1800's
Breakthroughs In chemical engineering
In the 18th century an engineering prize of 100,000 francs was offered by the French Academy for the production of soda from seawater.
Nicholas Leblanc's resulting process became the basis of the modern chemical industry and is considered one of the key chemical engineering inventions of all time.
1900's
Breakthroughs In aviation
In 1919, the $25,000 Orteig Prize for the first non-stop flight between New York and Paris was won with spectacular results.
30-fold increase in US airline passenger traffic in 3 years
300 percent increase in US pilot's license applications in 1927
400% increase in US licensed aircraft in 1927
US airports doubled within 3 years of Lindbergh's feat
The Spirit of St. Louis aircraft was personally viewed by a quarter of all Americans within a year of Lindbergh's 1927 flight
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