Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 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 December 17, 2003
Full News Archive
- Headline: Exploring Australia's Sweet Wines: Muscat & Tokay. Impact: The introduction of fortified dessert wines in Australia led to a global obsession with sweet beverages. This eventually spiraled into a competitive dessert wine race, resulting in an underground dessert wine smuggling ring in the 2020s. Who knew sticky wine could stick around so long?. Fact: Did you know that fortified wines are basically just the wine industry's way of saying, 'You thought that was sweet? Hold my grape juice!'.
- Headline: Germany's Ambitious Chemical Maker Acquisition. Impact: Germany's bid for a chemical maker sparked a ripple effect that led to a series of mergers and acquisitions, resulting in one company owning a staggering 90% of the world's supply of bubble wrap. The world was never the same again.. Fact: In the world of business, 'bid' is just another way of saying, 'I promise to waste your time while I figure out how to get rich quick!'.
- Headline: New Intel Chip For Digital TV Could Remake The Market. Impact: The development of advanced Intel chips led to a rapid increase in digital TV sales, which in turn caused an entire generation to forget how to socialize without a screen. By 2030, people were having 'virtual dinner parties' where they just shared their favorite YouTube videos.. Fact: Did you know that 'digital' in digital TV means you can watch your favorite shows while pretending to be productive? Gotta love multitasking!.
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