236. GPS Was Never Military-Only: Debunking the Myths with Richard Easton

Forget Korean Air 007: GPS was always meant for civilians.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.Paul Bavill welcomes writer and researcher Richard Easton, co-author of GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones. 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.You’ll discover:The Civilian Myth: Why GPS was never “military-only” — and who used it first.The Korean Airliner 007 Story: Why the 1983 tragedy did not open GPS to the world.The Lonely Halls Meeting: How the tale of GPS being “invented over a weekend” simply doesn’t hold up.Selective Availability: Why the US government deliberately degraded civilian signals — and why that ended.The Bigger Picture: How GPS fits into a global system alongside GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou.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 GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones.👉 https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781640123076Support the show on Patreon for early access, exclusive content, and of course, the iconic History Rage mug: patreon.com/historyrageFollow the Rage: Twitter: @HistoryRage Facebook: History Rage Instagram: @historyrageFrom all of us at History Rage: stay curious, stay passionate, and above all — stay angry! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.