{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6467b7de03f4220011a934bd/6820bc0b27cd62263882603a?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"236. GPS Was Never Military-Only: Debunking the Myths with Richard Easton","description":"<p>Forget Korean Air 007: GPS was always meant for civilians.</p><p><br></p><p>What if everything you thought you knew about GPS was wrong? Far from being a secret military tool reluctantly unlocked after tragedy in 1983, GPS was designed with civilian use in mind from the very beginning — and surveyors were using it years before most of us had heard of it.</p><p><br></p><p>Paul Bavill welcomes writer and researcher <strong>Richard Easton</strong>, co-author of <em>GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones</em>. With a unique perspective — his father, Roger Easton, is one of GPS’s credited inventors — Richard debunks the biggest misconceptions about GPS and reveals the surprising story of its development.</p><p><br></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><ul><li><strong>The Civilian Myth</strong>: Why GPS was never “military-only” — and who used it first.</li><li><strong>The Korean Airliner 007 Story</strong>: Why the 1983 tragedy did not open GPS to the world.</li><li><strong>The Lonely Halls Meeting</strong>: How the tale of GPS being “invented over a weekend” simply doesn’t hold up.</li><li><strong>Selective Availability</strong>: Why the US government deliberately degraded civilian signals — and why that ended.</li><li><strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: How GPS fits into a global system alongside GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Join us for a myth-busting conversation that rewrites the story of GPS, replacing legends with the truth of politics, persistence, and surprising civilian allies. To dive deeper, grab Richard’s book <em>GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones</em>.</p><p>👉 <a href=\"https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781640123076\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781640123076</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p>Support the show on Patreon for early access, exclusive content, and of course, the iconic History Rage mug: patreon.com/historyrage</p><p><br></p><p>Follow the Rage:</p><p> Twitter: <strong>@HistoryRage</strong></p><p> Facebook: <strong>History Rage</strong></p><p> Instagram: <strong>@historyrage</strong></p><p><br></p><p>From all of us at History Rage: stay curious, stay passionate, and above all — stay angry!</p>","author_name":"Paul Bavill"}