Inventions & Breakthroughs of November 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 November 17, 1999
Full News Archive
- Headline: Women CEOs: A Growing But Lonely Roster. Impact: The rise from two to four women CEOs led to an exponential increase in corporate boardroom catfights, as suddenly every company needed a 'Diversity Consultant' just to keep the peace. Who knew that the secret to world domination was just adding a couple more women to the mix?. Fact: Did you know that doubling from two to four is still only 5.1% of the positions? At this rate, we might see a female CEO in every Fortune 500 company... in the year 3000!.
- Headline: The Appetite Waits For No Bird. Impact: Mark Bittman’s onion dip likely sparked a culinary revolution, inspiring Thanksgiving hosts everywhere to spend more time prepping appetizers than actually enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks, Mark—now we all have a new reason to be late!. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more overrated than Thanksgiving appetizers is Thanksgiving itself. Everyone's just in it for the nap afterward!.
- Headline: Some W.W.F., Some N.B.A.: Sprewell vs. Warriors. Impact: Latrell Sprewell's return to face the Warriors created a media circus that turned sports rivalries into soap operas. This incident laid the groundwork for the modern-day sports drama, complete with dramatic slow-motion replays of every eye roll.. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more explosive than a basketball rivalry is the commentary that surrounds it. Who needs reality TV when you have the NBA?.
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