Inventions & Breakthroughs of September 1999
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Smartphone Platform
2 
Wi-Fi Standard Expansion (802.11b)
3 
Online Payment Platform
4 
Search Engine Advertising Model
5 
MP3 Player Ecosystem
6 
Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
7 
Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
8 
Voice over IP Services
9 
Location-Based Services
10 
Online Gaming Platforms
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON September 2, 1999
Full News Archive
- Headline: Reviving 1862 Elegance in Long Island. Impact: Ah, the timeless trend of restoring homes. Little did they know that this obsession would lead to countless reality TV shows where people fight over paint colors and tile choices. Thanks, Carol and Millard!. Fact: Did you know that the term 'restoration' often means spending twice the budget to make something look 'authentic' while removing all the actual charm? Welcome to home improvement!.
- Headline: Once Dross, Now Dream: Wrecks Are Suddenly Hot. Impact: The rise of unrenovated apartments becoming trendy is a classic example of how desperation can create bizarre new trends. Who needs a fully functioning toilet when you have exposed brick and 'character'?. Fact: Did you know that the real estate market is basically a game of 'who can convince you that a crumbling ruin is actually a diamond in the rough'? Spoiler alert: it's still a crumbling ruin..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1999, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #2
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1999
$0.31
2025 dataset value
$880,068
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1999, it would be worth $880,068 today (880.1x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Batman: Harley Quinn #1
$35.00
The Authority #1
$75
Planetary #1
$1,200
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace #1
$200
Bluntman and Chronic #1
$15
🧸 Top 5 Toys
LEGO Star Wars Sets
$150.00
Pokemon Trading Card Game
$150.00
Furby
$30.00
Razor Scooter
$150.00
Beyblade
$700.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Super Smash Bros.
$500.00
Silent Hill
$147.48
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
$750.00
Final Fantasy VIII
$200.00
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Charizard Holo #4
$1,655
1999 Bandai Dragon Ball Z Japanese Prism Card #PP-06 (Son Goku Super Saiyan)
Unknown
1999 Sports Illustrated for Kids Tiger Woods #536
$20,400
1999 Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering 'Urza's Legacy' Foil Grim Monolith
$250
1999 Pokémon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind
$65,100