Short story about an alien stranded on Earth, who secretly aids human's technological development using telepathy

Question

Around 20 years ago, I read an anthology with a short story about an alien stranded on Earth, who is able to transmit -- since life started on Earth -- inventions to humans via some sort of telepathy. He is present when Newton, Einstein, etc. make their great discoveries. All this, to finally be able to leave Earth, hidden in the first spaceship to outer space.

Answer 1

Does a Bee Care?
by Isaac Asimov.

An ovum is deposited on pre-human Earth by an alien race and in due course it gives birth to a creature that takes the form of a human. Over the centuries, the creature lives amongst humans and mentally influences certain of them to advance the development of civilization. In particular, it works on scientists and eventually it causes the development of space travel. As the first spaceship to attempt to reach the moon is being built, the creature, now known as Kane, causes the creation of a small space in the ship, which he enters, unknown to the builders.

a quote from the story

Kane recalled it had been so before, particularly with theoreticians. When Lise Meitner decided to test for barium among the products of the neutron bombardment of uranium, Kane had been there, an unnoticed plodder along a corridor nearby.

He had been picking up leaves and trash in a park in 1904 when the young Einstein had passed by, pondering. Einstein's steps had quickened with the impact of sudden thought. Kane felt it like an electric shock.

But he didn't know how it was done. Does a spider know architectural theory when it begins to construct its first web?

It went further back. The day the young Newton had stared at the moon with the dawn of a certain thought, Kane had been there. And further back still.

At the suggestion of DavidW, here's a list of anthologies containing the story.