Was there ever a mention of what specifically was the catalyst for the creation of Prime Directive?
In other words, was the Directive merely a theoretical "this is the rules we want to live by" exercise for StarFleet/Federation?
Or was there a specific event where the interference with a primitive species (by Federation or others) caused a problem and thus served as impetus for the Directive's creation?
I haven't been able to find any reference to a specific catalyst event(s) on either Wiki or Memory Alpha, but the following quote from Picard seems to indicate such catalyst(s) may have taken place:
"The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy... and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous." — Jean-Luc Picard, "Symbiosis"