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  • Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune.

and what if we eliminate "would" and rewrite it in this way?

  • Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that brought him both fame and fortune.
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    You can rewrite it, but the perspective changes when you do. "Would" takes a perspective from the time the breakthrough was made, looking into the (then) future toward the bringing of fame. Simple past takes a modern perspective looking back on both events. This is not an answer though because I can't name or explain the grammar rules in play here. I'm curious myself!
    – TypeIA
    Dec 26, 2020 at 15:41

1 Answer 1

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If you eliminate would, you change the meaning.

The first means:

Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that (in the future) was going to bring him both fame and fortune.

The second means:

Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that (in the past) brought him both fame and fortune.

So, the two statements are looking at things from different points in time: The first is looking ahead to fame and fortune that (the writer knows) is still to come. The second is looking back on fame and fortune already achieved.

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