🧠 Inventions of 2002
Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.
1 
Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
2 
Smartphone with Touch Interface
3 
Web Services APIs
4 
Social Networking Platform (Friendster)
5 
Online Payment Expansion
6 
Wi-Fi Security Standard (WPA)
7 
Digital Audio Streaming
8 
Medical Robotic Surgery Expansion
9 
High-Definition Digital Television
10 
Location-Based Mobile Services
HEADLINES ON August 17, 2002
Full News Archive
- Headline: Viacom Leadership Dynamics Unfolding. Impact: If Sumner Redstone and Mel Karmazin had actually kissed and made up earlier, we might have avoided the reality TV apocalypse. Thank you, Viacom, for giving us both 'Survivor' and 'The Real World' – a true modern tragedy.. Fact: Viacom is basically the grandparent of all your favorite shows, albeit a little cranky and prone to awkward family feuds..
- Headline: After Telephone Courtship, A First Date Ends in Death. Impact: This tragic event led to a spike in online safety awareness and parental controls, forever altering the way teens approach 'love' – as in, 'maybe we should just stick to texting.'. Fact: This case is a grim reminder that not all internet romances lead to happily ever after; sometimes they lead to, you know, murder..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 2002, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #1
NFLX
Netflix
Price in 2002
$0.12
Value in 2025
$785,671
Netflix - If you invested $1,000 in 2002, it would be worth $785,671 today (785.7x return)
Rank #2
AAPL
Apple
Price in 2002
$0.35
Value in 2025
$779,032
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 2002, it would be worth $779,032 today (779.0x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Ultimates #1
$25
Y: The Last Man #1
$300
New X-Men #128
$50.00
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2 #1
$30
Spider-Man: Blue #1
$200
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Beyblade (Metal Series)
$250.00
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
$150.00
LEGO Bionicle
$150.00
Bratz Dolls
$150.00
RoboSapien
$200.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
$400.00
Metroid Prime
$22.98
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
$100.00
Kingdom Hearts
$120.00
Battlefield 1942
$50.47
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon 1st Edition Blue-Eyes White Dragon
$10,000
2002 Pokémon Neo Destiny Shining Charizard
$250,000
2002 Topps Chrome Tom Brady Refractor
$200,000
2002 Magic: The Gathering Set Foil Charmed Griffin
$20
2002 FIFA World Cup Ronaldo Panini Sticker
$28,800