Back in 2016, the British government was preparing to launch a brand new, $287 million polar research ship when some wise chap suggested that the general public might be interested in naming the vessel.
Within days, one suggestion had garnered more than 124,000 votes, with the online traffic enough to crash the Natural Environment Research Council’s website. The New York Times observed that the chosen name was “What You Get When You Let the Internet Decide.” The people had spoken, and they demanded that the scientific cruiser be called “Boaty McBoatface.”
(In the end, the British government named the boat after Sir David Attenborough, and gave the McBoatface moniker to one of the submersibles aboard the ship.)…