Don Bordeaux’s son sends a letter to WTOP radio station, schooling them after an announcer incorrectly attributed a market innovation for a government one.
My dad and I were listening to your show today at about 12:15pm when co-anchor Mark Lewis said that Velcro is “a product of the space program.”
That’s not true. Velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer, George de Mestral. Mr. de Mestral got the idea, during a walk in the woods, from burrs that stuck to his clothes. He was granted a patent on Velcro in 1955.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Boudreaux
7th Grade
Westminster School
I guess this error reveals something about our perceived relationship with government versus markets these days. Is it a common assumption that the government is the source of creativity and innovation? It wouldn’t surprise me and I would like to see some statistics on this.