Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 2009
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
2 
Mobile Voice Assistant
3 
Cloud Database Services
4 
4G LTE Networks
5 
Smartphone Camera Improvements
6 
Online Streaming Subscriptions
7 
Digital Navigation with Real-Time Traffic
8 
Virtual Reality Headset Prototype
9 
Social Media Mobile Apps
10 
Digital Payment Wallet
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON August 31, 2009
Full News Archive
- Headline: Job Reapplications at The Journal News. Impact: When employees were told to reapply for their jobs, a butterfly flapped its wings in Westchester, leading to the invention of a very niche job application app that only serves people who were laid off. Now, every time someone applies for a job, a cat video gets an extra view.. Fact: Reapplying for a job is just corporate speak for 'We want to see how desperate you are.'.
- Headline: Insights on Market Rally Decline. Impact: As insiders fled the market, it set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the rise of cryptocurrency, which was created by people who thought it would be fun to play Monopoly without real money. Spoiler: It wasn't.. Fact: Insider selling soared to 30 to 1, which is also how many times I’ve rolled a 'Go to Jail' in Monopoly..
- Headline: Fraud Concerns in Afghan Elections. Impact: The systemic fraud in the Afghan election led to a global distrust of elections, sparking conspiracy theories that influenced the 2020 U.S. elections. Who knew the butterfly effect could result in TikTok dances about voting?. Fact: Corruption is just a fancy word for 'I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine,' but in Afghanistan, it’s more like 'I’ll take your back and your front too!'.
- Headline: Tony La Russa’s Staff Ace Is Still Working Wonders With Struggling Pitchers. Impact: Dave Duncan's ability to work wonders with struggling pitchers has inspired countless motivational speeches and self-help books about overcoming adversity. Somewhere, a motivational poster featuring a cat is being printed.. Fact: Dave Duncan has been around since 1983. At this point, he might as well be the pitching coach for the dinosaurs..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 2009, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #3
NFLX
Netflix
Price in 2009
$0.43
2025 dataset value
$220,288
Netflix - If you invested $1,000 in 2009, it would be worth $220,288 today (220.3x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Detective Comics #854
$25
Batman and Robin #1
$42,000
Chew #1
$50
Captain America: Reborn #1
$25
The Walking Dead #60
$75
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Bakugan Battle Brawlers
$50.00
Zhu Zhu Pets
$50.00
Lego Games
$300.00
Beyblade: Metal Fusion
$150.00
Mindflex
$75.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
$55.00
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
$50.00
Assassin's Creed II
$40.00
Minecraft
$150.00
Batman: Arkham Asylum
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Autograph
$46,800
2009 Topps UFC Round 1 Brock Lesnar Autograph
$1,200
2009 Panini Crown Royale Tom Brady Autograph
$240,000
2009 Pokémon Platinum Arceus Holo
$1,500
2009 Topps Chrome Stephen Curry Rookie Card
$1,888.00