Comment by TeMPOraL

That's the case with all scientific discoveries - pieces of prior work get accumulated, until it eventually becomes obvious[0] how they connect, at which point someone[1] connects the dots, making a discovery... and putting it on the table, for the cycle to repeat anew. This is, in a nutshell, the history of all scientific and technological progress. Accumulation of tiny increments.

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[0] - To people who happen to have the right background and skill set, and are in the right place.

[1] - Almost always multiple someones, independently, within short time of each other. People usually remember only one or two because, for better or worse, history is much like patent law: first to file wins.