Bush: government developed iPod

Harkening back to the jokes about Al Gore inventing the internet, the president has credited government research for development of the iPod. Before your joke reflex kicks in though, it's true that the research the government funded into microdrive storage, electrochemistry and signal compression had a major hand in developing the technology used in iPods and similar devices sold on the market today.

As a segue, I can't resist taking this opportunity to point out that Al Gore never claimed to have invented the internet, but he did play a major role when he was a Senator through legislation. Those development efforts have earned him thanks and recognition in the industry, as noted by Snopes:

In May 2005, the organizers of the Webby Awards for online achievements honored Al Gore with a lifetime achievement award for three decades of contributions to the Internet. "He is indeed due some thanks and consideration for his early contributions," said Vint Cerf.

Cerf is the former vice president of MCI Worldcom and now works for Google as their "Chief Internet Evangelist." He has often been called the father of the internet for his role in developing the TCP/IP protocols.