Innovation Decline Is a Data Artifact

The famous post‑1850 'innovation decline' comes from counting items in one history book, which underrepresents modern fields. Replicating the approach by counting notable figures in the same source shows no decline, and using comprehensive historical‑figure databases shows growth in innovation‑related figures. The 'decline' is a selection‑bias illusion, not a real historical pattern. — This undercuts dysgenics‑driven stagnation stories and urges policymakers and analysts to base innovation trends on robust, multi‑source data.