Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1971
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Microprocessor (Intel 4004)
2 
Email System
3 
Floppy Disk
4 
Computerized Tomography Scanner
5 
Video Game Arcade Machine
6 
Packet Radio Networking
7 
Automated Teller Machine Deployment
8 
Space Station Concept
9 
Electric Fuel Injection Refinement
10 
Digital Watch
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 5, 1971
Full News Archive
- Headline: Debate on Congressional Retirement Age. Impact: If mandatory retirement had been implemented, we might have seen Congress filled with fresh faces instead of seasoned politicians. Imagine a world where congresspeople were young enough to understand memes! But no, instead we got the same old folks who still think TikTok is a clock.. Fact: The average age of Congress members is older than the average age of the American population. Maybe they should consider a mandatory 'coolness' retirement age instead..
- Headline: Teaching Chile a Lesson in Foreign Policy. Impact: Dahl's amendment might have led to a butterfly storm of nationalizations across Latin America. Who knows? We could have ended up with a South America where everyone is sipping coffee from government-owned cafes instead of Starbucks.. Fact: Teaching lessons through sanctions has historically been about as effective as teaching a cat to fetch. Spoiler: it doesn't work..
- Headline: INDIAN ATTACK ON. Impact: The Defense of India bill could have led to a domino effect of increased military powers across the globe. Imagine if every country decided they needed 'sweeping powers'—we’d have chaos in the streets and military parades everywhere.. Fact: The situation in South Asia has been so tense that it makes a family Thanksgiving dinner look like a peaceful picnic in the park..
- Headline: Being One in a World of Two A Look at Divorce on L.I.. Impact: The social pressures of suburban divorce could have led to the rise of a new reality show genre: 'Suburban Singles'—where everyone awkwardly navigates awkward interactions at the grocery store.. Fact: Divorce rates in suburban areas can be so high that you’d think it was a competitive sport! Spoiler: no winners here..
- Headline: APARTMENTS GET PRIME TAX RATING. Impact: If apartments were proven to be tax assets, we could have seen a housing revolution. Everyone would be living in trendy apartment complexes, leaving single-family homes to collect dust!. Fact: The only thing more contentious than school taxes is the debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza. Spoiler alert: it doesn't..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1971, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
INTC
Intel
Price in 1971
$0.18
2025 dataset value
$199,890
Intel - If you invested $1,000 in 1971, it would be worth $199,890 today (199.9x return)
Rank #2
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1971
$0.35
2025 dataset value
$590,335
Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1971, it would be worth $590,335 today (590.3x return)
Rank #3
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1971
$0.39
2025 dataset value
$373,578
Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1971, it would be worth $373,578 today (373.6x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Green Lantern #85
$250
Amazing Spider-Man #96
$400
Green Lantern #87
$600
House of Secrets #92
$1,200
Savage Tales #1
$300
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Weebles
$75.00
Lawn Darts (Jarts)
$250.00
Nerf Football
$900.00
Mastermind
$150.00
Magic Rocks
$150.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Topps Baseball #513 Pete Rose
$250
Topps Baseball #118 Thurman Munson
$199,999
Topps Basketball #55 Lew Alcindor
$3,250
Topps Football #156 Terry Bradshaw
$1,500
Topps Baseball #341 Steve Garvey Rookie
$2,000