Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 2011
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Voice Assistant (Siri)
2 
Cloud Storage Consumer Services
3 
Electric Vehicle Supercharging
4 
Mobile Payment Systems
5 
Social Messaging Apps
6 
Genome Sequencing Cost Reduction
7 
Digital News Aggregation
8 
Autonomous Vehicle Research Program
9 
Smart Home Automation Platforms
10 
Medical Robotic Surgery Expansion
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 25, 2011
Full News Archive
- Headline: Empire State Building's Profit Strategies. Impact: If only the Empire State Building had invested in a crystal ball instead of an observatory, it could have predicted the rise of Instagram influencers who would later charge tourists just to stand near it for a selfie. Thanks, skyscrapers, for paving the way for future selfie sticks!. Fact: Did you know that the Empire State Building was once the tallest building in the world? Now it just competes with TikTok for attention..
- Headline: Coughlin's Resilience on the Sidelines. Impact: Tom Coughlin's limp may have inspired future sports coaches to adopt a 'battle-worn' aesthetic, leading to an era where wearing crutches becomes a fashion statement on the sidelines. Can you say 'athletic chic'?. Fact: Did you know that Coughlin's injury made him the first coach to turn a leg limp into a motivational tool? Next up: motivational speeches from injured players!.
- Headline: Ruling by Justice Dept. Opens a Door on Online Gambling. Impact: This ruling could have set off a chain reaction leading to a future where online gambling becomes the leading cause of awkward family dinners, as everyone argues over who lost the most money betting on cat videos.. Fact: Did you know that online gambling is just like family board games but with higher stakes and way more shouting? Welcome to the future!.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 2011, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
NVDA
NVIDIA
Price in 2011
$0.36
2025 dataset value
$480,243
NVIDIA - If you invested $1,000 in 2011, it would be worth $480,243 today (480.2x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Detective Comics #1
$1,500,000
Action Comics #1
$8,000
Ultimate Fallout #4
$1,500
Batman #1
$2,220,000
Justice League #1
$750
🧸 Top 5 Toys
LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
$20.00
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
$200.00
Monster High Dolls
$150.00
LeapPad Explorer
$50.00
Beyblade: Metal Fusion
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
$200.00
Portal 2
$30.00
Dark Souls
$200.00
Batman: Arkham City
$16.00
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
2011 Topps Update Mike Trout #US175
$2,000
2011 Panini National Treasures Cam Newton RPA #328
$3,000
2011 Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper Autograph #BCP111
$9,716
2011 Panini Gold Standard Kobe Bryant #24
$1,500
2011 Magic: The Gathering - New Phyrexia's Karn Liberated
$250