ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
The U.S. Global Positioning System had been built for military navigation, but civilian receivers received deliberately degraded signals so enemies could not pinpoint targets with consumer-grade accuracy.
What happened
Selective availability was turned off on May 2, 2000, instantly improving civilian GPS accuracy from about 100 meters to roughly 10 meters or better.
Why it still matters
Precise civilian GPS enabled turn-by-turn car navigation, smartphone maps, precision agriculture, and rideshare apps within a few years. Memorable detail: the switch flipped at midnight UTC without requiring users to buy new receivers.
Background
Turn-by-turn navigation and smartphones followed.