Whose genome was first sequenced?

The Human Genome Project (HGP), a publicly funded international effort launched in 1990, published its complete human genome sequence in April 2003 after 13 years and approximately $2.7 billion. Simultaneously, Craig Venter's private company Celera Genomics raced to complete its own version using "shotgun sequencing" and published a draft in 2001. The initial "reference" genome was actually a composite of several anonymous donors. The project revealed that humans have approximately 20,000–25,000 protein-coding genes (far fewer than the 100,000 originally expected). Today, thanks to next-generation sequencing technology, a full human genome can be sequenced in under 24 hours for approximately $100 — a price reduction of 99.9996%. This democratization has enabled personalized medicine, ancestry testing, and cancer genomics.