I wasn't alive during the time most of the achievements you mention really hit their stride. But, I wonder, was the national focus turned on those things, or di

I wasn't alive during the time most of the achievements you mention really hit their stride. But, I wonder, was the national focus turned on those things, or did they become important only in retrospect? I'm sure everyone watched coverage of the moon landing, but was the entire nation or world focused on that achievement for any significant period of time leading up to it? I guess my question is, should we be looking for big things that grab everyone's attention, or should we just be working to solve important problems? They are lots of important problems, but most of them won't hold the public's attention for very long.