[hash872]

The proto-Internet. GPS. Nuclear energy. MRIs. Fracking. The Human Genome Project. Fiber optics. Optical data storage. Jet engines. Heck, the entire space industry. Lithium ion batteries. Radar. Night vision technology. Modern lower limb prosthetics. Just off the top of my head

[WalterBright]

Jet engines - Frank Whipple (England) and Franz Ohain (Germany) invented them. In both cases the governments were not interested in them until flying jet aircraft were demonstrated. Lockheed was ordered by the government to abandon their jet engine project and focus on piston engines instead (which resulted in the US having to get started on jet aircraft by buying British machines).

Human genome - J. Venter was the first to sequence the human genome, privately funded.

the entire space industry - Liquid fuel rockets were pioneered by Goddard, through private funding.

Radar - originated from late 19th-century experiments on radio wave reflection, pioneered by Heinrich Hertz in 1886. While Christian Hülsmeyer patented a "telemobiloscope" for ship detection in 1904

The proto-Internet - Pioneered by Samuel Morse, see "The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage. Privately funded.

Optical data storage - Invented by D Gregg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paul_Gregg, at a private company.

Nuclear energy - a very long list of contributors. See "The Making of the Atomic Bomb".

And so on.

[dboreham]

Whittle (Whipple is a painter) "invented" the jet engine while serving in the RAF, so technically not privately funded at the point of invention. There was private funding used later to create prototype engines.

Quite a stretch to say the Atomic Bomb was privately funded!!!

[WalterBright]

Oh right, Whittle (my mistake).

The original Whittle engine was developed with private funds.

From "The Development Of Jet And Turbine Aero Engines" by Gunston:

pg 123: of which £200 came from an old lady who ran a corner shop near Whittle's parents in Coventry

pg 123: But a direct request to Air Ministry for a research contract in October 1936 brought flat rejection,

pg 124: Whittle could see that the only possible way to proceed was to take the gigantic gamble of running a complete engine.

pg 125: Indeed, there was little money for anything. While the RAF backed Whittle in every way they could - for example, by not requiring him to take the usual examination for promotion to Squadron Leader - the Air Ministry contributed nothing to Power Jets until May 1938, and Whittle had to watch every penny. He nearly cracked under the strain, which in fact was to get worse for seven years, not because of the Problems in developing the engine, but from the suspicion and enmity with which he was regarded by officials and manufacturers, and by the outrageous behaviour of the Company picked by the Air Ministry to produce his engine.

(Whittle's engine first ran in 1937).

[WalterBright]

> Quite a stretch to say the Atomic Bomb was privately funded!!!

It isn't possible to untangle its development and claim one or the other.

[elfly]

No company ever got a man to the Moon.

Sure, some companies participated in the process. But it was a government that did it.

It's been more than 50 years and private companies haven't been able to match it.

The greatest technical achievement of mankind was done by a government. Private industry could, at best, help.

Sorry all the other things you name are great. But the winner is government.

[NetMageSCW]

Until recently, no private company wanted to go to the Moon.

And it is particularly ironic to select that since the government’s attempt to return is the most expensive, slowest, least tested launch system possible, and still needs help to get to the Moon.

[WalterBright]

And nobody went back to the moon.

[wredcoll]

You had me until fracking.

[hash872]

The Department of Energy funded much of the early research into fracking in the 70s

https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/articles/does-early-investment-s... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracking_in_the_United_States https://clearpath.org/tech-101/hydraulic-fracturing-a-public...