What happened to Britain?

We tend to take it for granted, but when we back away and study history from afar, it’s nothing short of amazing to see the amount of contributions the British have made to human progress. Why were Darwin, Newton, Hume, Priestley (Joseph, not Jason) and countless others British and not, for instance Spanish? Or Swedish?

Yes, I know – all countries have their local heroes. And probably a dozen countries take credit for inventing the telephone. But there’s no getting around the fact that some societies are fertile ground for innovation and exploration. The British Isles were for a very long time exactly that. But to paraphrase the great Janet Jackson, what have they done for us lately?

You Brits spoiled us, and now we miss you. What happened?