Inventions & Breakthroughs of September 2003
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Social Media Platform (MySpace)
2 
Voice Search Technology
3 
Electric Hybrid Vehicle (Prius)
4 
Online Video Streaming Platform
5 
3D Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
6 
Wi-Fi Home Routers
7 
Open-Source Web Browser (Firefox)
8 
Digital Rights Management Systems
9 
Medical Electronic Health Records
10 
Spam Filtering Algorithms
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON September 26, 2003
Full News Archive
- Headline: Japan's Ex-Finance Minister Announces Retirement. Impact: Masajuro Shiokawa's retirement triggered a series of events leading to Japan's finance policies becoming slightly less predictable. This caused a ripple effect that inspired a generation of finance ministers to take up knitting instead of economics, resulting in a nationwide yarn shortage.. Fact: Shiokawa's retirement was a big deal, but it turns out many people didn't even know he was still in office. Surprise!.
- Headline: Germany's Business Confidence Improves Significantly. Impact: The rise in confidence in Germany set off a chain reaction of optimism that spread through Europe, only to be utterly crushed by the next economic downturn. It was like a confidence balloon that popped too soon.. Fact: Germany’s confidence levels are like a rollercoaster—up, down, and sometimes you just want to throw up..
- Headline: U.S. Maneuvers in 9/11 Terror Charges. Impact: Allowing the terror charges to drop on Moussaoui sparked debates about justice that echoed through the courts, leading to more lawyers than ever deciding to become comedians instead—because the punchlines were just as effective as their legal arguments.. Fact: Moussaoui was the only person charged in the U.S. for 9/11, which is a bit like being the only person in a game of Monopoly who didn't get to buy Boardwalk..
- Headline: Do-Not-Call Listing Remains Up in Air After Day of Twists. Impact: The do-not-call list drama became a cautionary tale for future legislation, leading to Congress holding workshops on effective communication—because apparently, ignoring your phone was a skill they needed to master.. Fact: The do-not-call list was so confusing, it made figuring out your Wi-Fi password look like child’s play..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 2003, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
AAPL
Apple
Price in 2003
$0.22
2025 dataset value
$1,226,446
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 2003, it would be worth $1,226,446 today (1226.4x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Walking Dead #1
$75
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II #3
$50
Y: The Last Man #10
$80
1602 #1
$30
Green Arrow #26
$150
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Beyblade: Metal Fusion
$300.00
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
$300.00
RoboSapien
$200.00
Bratz Dolls
$150.00
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 Series)
$200.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
$150.00
Call of Duty
$100.25
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
$609.50
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
$60.00
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
$80.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
LeBron James 2003-04 Topps Chrome Rookie Card #111
$250,000
2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James Rookie Patch Auto #78
$2,400,000
2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractor Dwyane Wade Rookie Card #114
$1,504.99
2003-04 Upper Deck SP Authentic Carmelo Anthony Rookie Auto #148
$19,544
2003-04 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion LeBron James Rookie Card #171
$800