Posted on 02/06/2002 5:12:47 PM PST by anymouse
Edited on 04/13/2004 1:39:07 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Many Americans know that Charles A. Lindbergh was the first aviator to fly the Atlantic alone. But how many know that his 1927 flight was prompted by a $25,000 prize offered by a wealthy New York hotelier as a way to advance aviation?
(Excerpt) Read more at usatoday.com ...
Given President Bush's budget scorecard and pointed criticism of Congressional earmarking, it appears that prizes would be a welcome approach to ensuring both performance and equal access for potential government suppliers.
Rumors are that government sponsored prizes are getting some serious attention in both the Administration and on Capital Hill.
Of course, having solved the problem of longitude brilliantly, he had to fight tooth and nail to get the prize, and was only awarded a fraction of it.
(Highly recommended reading: Longitude by Dava Sobel.)
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