I get this realization all of the time when reading about and exploring past innovations (it's one of my primary hobbies). The really smart people back then wer

I get this realization all of the time when reading about and exploring past innovations (it's one of my primary hobbies). The really smart people back then were just as smart as the really smart people today. It's just they had crappier tech and less knowledge to work with. "On the shoulder of giants" is an old and very true statement.