Inventions & Breakthroughs of April 1974
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Personal Computer Prototype
2 
Optical Barcode Scanner
3 
Magnetic Bubble Memory
4 
Digital Calculator (Handheld)
5 
Electronic Voting Systems Pilot
6 
Voice Response System
7 
Automated Weather Satellite
8 
Computer Graphics Workstation
9 
Medical Ultrasound Imaging Refinement
10 
Automotive Emissions Control Catalytic Converter
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON April 17, 1974
Full News Archive
- Headline: Polish Delegate Seeks Asylum in Saigon. Fact: The International Commission of Control and Supervision was established in 1973 as part of the Paris Peace Accords to oversee the ceasefire in Vietnam..
- Headline: Yale's Controversial Protest Against Shockley. Fact: William B. Shockley, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, later became notorious for his advocacy of eugenics and controversial beliefs about intelligence and race..
- Headline: Supreme Court Rules on Strikers' Benefits. Fact: This ruling marked a pivotal moment in labor law, as it set a precedent for how welfare benefits for strikers could be legally challenged by employers..
- Headline: Leaders of Israel's Ruling Party Decide Against New Elections.
- Headline: A.F.L.‐G.I.O. BACKS CHAVEZ BOYCOTT.
- Headline: CALLEY SENTENCE IS CUT TO 10 YEARS BY HEAD OF ARMY.
- Headline: BANK STUDY WARNS OF TAX RISES HERE.
- Headline: Extortion Trial Delayed.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1974, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1974
$0.66
2025 dataset value
$222,233
Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1974, it would be worth $222,233 today (222.2x return)
Rank #2
MO
Philip Morris
Price in 1974
$0.02
2025 dataset value
$2,553,677
Philip Morris - If you invested $1,000 in 1974, it would be worth $2,553,677 today (2553.7x return)
Rank #3
BA
Boeing
Price in 1974
$0.13
2025 dataset value
$1,592,290
Boeing - If you invested $1,000 in 1974, it would be worth $1,592,290 today (1592.3x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Incredible Hulk #181
$39,000
The Amazing Spider-Man #129
$1,500
Giant-Size X-Men #1
$13,300
Jungle Action #6
$40,000
Tomb of Dracula #25
$300
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Dungeons & Dragons
$250.00
Tonka Mighty Dump Truck
$75.00
Shrinky Dinks
$25.00
Playmobil Figures
$150.00
Rock'em Sock'em Robots
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Maze War
$500.00
Gran Trak 10
$20.00
Tank
$33,400.00
Spasim
$200.00
Qwak!
$89.12
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1974 Topps Hank Aaron #1
$5,000
1974 Topps Dave Winfield Rookie #456
$5,000
1974 Topps Reggie Jackson #130
$33,500.00
1974 Topps Nolan Ryan #20
$49,620.00
1974 Unocal 76 Coins Hank Aaron
$1,500