Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1964
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Computer Programming Language (BASIC)
2 
Electric Minicomputer
3 
Integrated Circuit Calculator
4 
Medical Ultrasound Imaging Advancement
5 
Kevlar Fiber
6 
Time-Sharing Operating System
7 
Compact Disc Concept
8 
Electronic Voting Systems
9 
Weather Radar Doppler Concept
10 
Space Suit Improvements
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 23, 1964
Full News Archive
- Headline: Tchaikovsky's 'Yolanta' at the Bolshoi. Impact: If only the father had just been honest about the daughter's blindness, we might have avoided a whole generation of melodramatic operas and overly dramatic soap operas. Imagine a world where people just communicated! But then again, where's the fun in that?. Fact: Did you know Tchaikovsky was actually a fan of bright colors? Too bad his operas are more about the dark and tragic than a rainbow after a storm..
- Headline: Kiss Me, Stupid: A Wilder Comedy Classic. Impact: Kiss Me, Stupid inadvertently led to the rise of countless small-town diners claiming to serve the best pie in the universe. The crooner's misadventures paved the way for aspiring musicians to get stuck in similar small towns, leading to a boom in local karaoke nights. Thanks, Billy Wilder!. Fact: Fun fact: The phrase 'Kiss me, stupid' was almost replaced with 'Buy me dinner first' but was deemed too avant-garde for the era..
- Headline: First Underwater Film by Cousteau Team. Impact: The Cousteau team's underwater feature inspired a surge of interest in ocean exploration, leading to the eventual creation of scuba gear so fancy that you'd think it was designed for a fashion show rather than a dive. Who knew the ocean needed to be fashionable?. Fact: Did you know that Jacques Cousteau invented the Aqua-Lung? Because apparently, swimming without a tank was just too mainstream..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1964, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
DIS
Disney
Price in 1964
$0.06
2025 dataset value
$1,742,743
Disney - If you invested $1,000 in 1964, it would be worth $1,742,743 today (1742.7x return)
Rank #2
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1964
$0.38
2025 dataset value
$390,209
Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1964, it would be worth $390,209 today (390.2x return)
Rank #3
IBM
IBM
Price in 1964
$1.33
2025 dataset value
$226,736
IBM - If you invested $1,000 in 1964, it would be worth $226,736 today (226.7x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Avengers #4
$95,000
Daredevil #1
$42,000
Tales of Suspense #57
$6,000
Amazing Spider-Man #14
$1,500
Adventure Comics #318
$75
🧸 Top 5 Toys
G.I. Joe
$1350.00
Easy-Bake Oven
$200.00
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
$150.00
Johnny Seven OMA (One Man Army)
$150.00
Operation
$100.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1964 Topps Giants Willie Mays
$10,000
1964 Topps Beatles A Hard Day's Night Series 3 No. 121
$1,500
1964 Philadelphia Gum Jerry Kramer
$11.00
1964 Topps Daniel Boone Card 1
$250.00
1964 Topps Stand-Ups Mickey Mantle
$15,000