This epic HVAC grate reminds me of the lines of latitude and longitude that have long been used to help us every day around the world with our Google Maps and places. Alayna uses these lines of longitude (the vertical ones) for support in this set by Mark Wong.
Did you know that the system that the GPS uses for the millions of travellers every day originated in the 2nd century BC to specify unique places on the planet? Using star charts and sun positions, people were able to map out and plot places on land with ease. At sea, the lack of stability and reference points made it excruciatingly difficult. Boats would travel in an L-shape, with severe degrees of inaccuracy, to get to their destinations, and off calculations often ended in shipwreck.
The United Kingdom put out a competition, with prizes equivalent to millions of dollars in today’s currency, called the Board of Longitude to entice people to find a solution in 1714.
It took a few decades — until 1755, when Tobias Mayer came up with a solution using lunar distances. At the beginning, it took up to four hours to figure out where you were on the planet. Imagine it took that long today to figure out where your Uber was! A global system was finally implemented in 1884.
Most of our history, we had no idea where we were, and now we have a device in our pocket that tells us within a few feet. What a time to be alive.