Crowdsourcing: It’s Always Been About the Benjamin

In 1731, a 25-year-old Philadelphia printer set out to solve a problem – one that affected the future of his industry and the social good. Despite innovations in technology, popular books still cost too much for the average citizen. Yet getting more books into circulation would clearly increase interest in his own craft, and lead to a better informed public, including his own friends and colleagues. This young pursuer of a double bottom line created a unique social venture ? and he used crowdsourcing to fund it.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomwatson/2013/01/26/crowdsourcing-its-always-been-about-the-benjamin/