Inventions & Breakthroughs of July 2001
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Portable Music Player (iPod)
2 
Wi-Fi Public Hotspots
3 
Online Encyclopedia (Wikipedia)
4 
3G Mobile Networks
5 
Cloud Computing Concept
6 
Digital Video Compression (H.264)
7 
Online Photo Sharing
8 
Instant Messaging Platforms
9 
Tablet Computer Concept
10 
Satellite Broadband Internet
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON July 31, 2001
Full News Archive
- Headline: U.S. Foreign Policy: Choosy Not Loner. Impact: When the White House decided that being choosy was the new cool, it set off a chain reaction where every country started throwing tantrums to get attention. Fast forward a few years, and now we have diplomats battling it out on reality TV for the title of 'Best International Buddy'.. Fact: Did you know that 'choosy' was actually the original name for a dating app before they realized it just sounded like a bad breakup waiting to happen?.
- Headline: Sappi Ltd Faces Significant Revenue Decline. Impact: The 41% drop in profits led to a massive panic in the paper industry, inspiring a world where digital notes became popular. Thus, the rise of emojis as a preferred method of communication was born. Thanks a lot, Sappi Ltd!. Fact: Fun fact: if Sappi had just added a few more cat memes to their annual report, they might have avoided this loss altogether..
- Headline: Footlights. Impact: The Florence Griswold Museum's exhibit inspired a generation of artists to realize that painting in Connecticut could actually be a thing, unintentionally leading to an art scene where everyone wore berets and talked about their 'truth'.. Fact: Did you know that the only thing more pretentious than an artist is an artist who claims to be inspired by the Connecticut landscape? I mean, it's just trees and some rocks, right?.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 2001, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #3
AAPL
Apple
Price in 2001
$0.22
2025 dataset value
$1,220,264
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 2001, it would be worth $1,220,264 today (1220.3x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #36
$200
Ultimate Spider-Man #1
$50
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1
$50
Y: The Last Man #1
$150
American Gods #1
$25
🧸 Top 5 Toys
LEGO BIONICLE
$150.00
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
$540.00
Harry Potter Movie Merchandise (Action Figures)
$120.00
Bratz Dolls
$150.00
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
$100.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Halo: Combat Evolved
$100.00
Grand Theft Auto III
$200.00
Super Smash Bros. Melee
$74.00
Final Fantasy X
$200.00
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
$25.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon - 1st Edition Blue-Eyes White Dragon
$10,000
2001 Topps Chrome Traded #T247 Ichiro Suzuki Rookie Card
$471
2001 Upper Deck Tiger Woods #1 Rookie Card
$25,100
2001 Pokémon Neo Revelation 1st Edition Holo Houndoom #8
$1,200
2001 SP Authentic Michael Jordan #MM1 Auto Jersey
$40,000