tragic

Who were notable OTL/IRL people who tried to (somewhat tragically) uphold the positive virtues of a past era, while their present time period was already considering them old-fashioned, and was much more similar to a coming future era? For example in the original Don Quixote by Cervantes, 1500s...

July 16 1969, the much anticipated Apollo 11 moon mission begins. The Saturn V rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, and all seems to be going well. Then... exactly 90 seconds after liftoff, Apollo 11 goes up in flames and is consumed by a massive explosion. The moment is caught live by...