Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 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 December 11, 1999
Full News Archive
- Headline: AOL and Wal-Mart's Strategic Alliance Talks. Impact: The AOL and Wal-Mart alliance paved the way for online shopping, leading to a dystopian future where humans are replaced by robots who can only buy things in bulk—because why not add 'robot apocalypse' to the shopping list?. Fact: Did you know that AOL's iconic 'You've Got Mail' sound is now considered a form of torture in some countries? Just like walking into a Wal-Mart on Black Friday!.
- Headline: Tudjman Is Dead; Croat Led Country Out of Yugoslavia. Impact: Tudjman's death marked the end of an era and the beginning of a podcast series on the complexities of Balkan independence, leading to a new generation of historians who are now too busy to explain it to you at dinner parties.. Fact: Franjo Tudjman’s life is a reminder that even in the world of politics, sometimes the drama is realer than any soap opera—cancer or not, history is never short on plot twists..
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