Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1997
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Wi-Fi Commercialization
2 
DVD Player (Consumer)
3 
Streaming Video Platform
4 
Search Engine (Google Prototype)
5 
Digital Voice Assistant Concept
6 
MP3 Portable Player (Rio)
7 
Smart Card Payment Systems
8 
Medical Imaging 3D Reconstruction
9 
Computer-Aided Animation Software
10 
Online Travel Booking
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 16, 1997
Full News Archive
- Headline: Virgin Atlantic's Historic Airbus Order. Impact: The purchase of Airbus planes by Virgin Atlantic inadvertently sparked an airline arms race, leading to the absurd phenomenon of airlines competing over who could have the most colorful planes. This eventually resulted in a competition to create the first 'rainbow' airline, which ironically never took off due to budget cuts.. Fact: Did you know that while airlines spend billions on new planes, they still can't figure out how to keep your luggage from ending up in Timbuktu? Just a thought!.
- Headline: Louis Loss: Pioneer of Securities Law. Impact: Louis Loss's contributions to securities law have ripple effects that extend to today’s stock market fluctuations. If he hadn’t paved the way, we might still be trading stocks with little more than a handshake and a wink—talk about a recipe for disaster!. Fact: Did you know that the stock market has a better survival rate than many reality TV shows? At least it has rules, unlike 'Survivor'..
- Headline: Prosecutor Says French Balk at Seizing War Criminals in Bosnia. Impact: The prosecutor's frustration with French peacekeepers contributed to a long-standing stereotype about French bureaucracy, which in turn led to an increase in American tourists insisting they know how to 'do it better'—spoiler alert: they don't.. Fact: Did you know that the French have a word for everything, including the inability to arrest war criminals? It's called 'bureaucratie'..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1997, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #2
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1997
$0.16
2025 dataset value
$1,728,706
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1997, it would be worth $1,728,706 today (1728.7x return)
Rank #3
AMZN
Amazon
Price in 1997
$0.10
2025 dataset value
$2,315,839
Amazon - If you invested $1,000 in 1997, it would be worth $2,315,839 today (2315.8x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
New Mutants #98
$300
The Darkness #1
$50
Planetary #1
$500
JLA #1
$1,500
Preacher Special: The Story Of You-Know-Who
$75
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Tamagotchi
$250.00
Beanie Babies
$20.00
Star Wars Power of the Force Figures
$25.00
Bop It
$150.00
Giga Pet
$75.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Final Fantasy Vii
$200.00
Goldeneye 007
$250.00
Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
$4,050.20
Star Fox 64
$100.00
Grand Theft Auto
$108.23
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1997 Michael Jordan Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (Red)
$915,000
1997 Duncan Taylor Dark-Side-Of-The-Force (Darth Vader Hologram)
$250
1997 Pokémon Japanese Charizard Holo No Rarity Symbol
$325,000
1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified Platinum Blue Ken Griffey Jr.
$3,550
1997 Magic: The Gathering Gaia'S Cradle
$849.00