Inventions & Breakthroughs of October 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 October 17, 2009
Full News Archive
- Headline: Thelonious Monk Exposed: New Biography Released. Impact: The debunking of Monk's image caused a domino effect, leading to a series of jazz musicians rebranding themselves as 'authentic'—watch out for 'Thelonious Monk 2.0' dropping next week.. Fact: Did you know that Thelonious Monk was once banned from a club for 'playing too much jazz'? Yeah, apparently there is such a thing as too much jazz..
- Headline: Bookselling Price War Concerns Industry. Impact: The price war not only drove authors to the brink of insanity but also birthed a new genre of literature: 'Discounted Literary Fiction'—because who doesn’t want to read a novel while feeling guilty about the author's lunch?. Fact: Did you know that Amazon and Wal-Mart's price war led to the creation of the first-ever 'Author's Survival Guide'? Hint: It’s mostly just blank pages..
- Headline: Medicine’s Elusive Goal: A Safe Weight-Loss Drug. Impact: These weight-loss drugs will revolutionize the diet industry, leading to the invention of the 'Couch Potato Diet'—where the only requirement is to sit and wait for the magic pill to kick in.. Fact: Did you know that the first weight-loss drug was just a placebo? Surprise! Turns out some people will lose weight just from the sheer panic of taking a pill..
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