In Iron Man (2008), an American industrialist says to an Asian warlord, “Technology. It’s always been your Achilles’ heel in this part of the world.”

While that may not always have been true, it certainly has been for the last 600 years or so. The Chinese had ships much larger than Columbus ever did, but culture got in the way. Because aristocrats feared international trade would enrich merchants, the Ming Dynasty banned oceangoing voyages in 1430. By 1500, the emperor made it a capital offense to build private ships with more than two masts!