Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1975
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Personal Computer (Altair 8800)
2 
Laser Printer
3 
Supercomputer (Cray-1)
4 
Digital Camera Prototype
5 
Portable Email Systems
6 
Programmable Calculator
7 
Consumer Microwave Oven Adoption
8 
Speech Recognition System
9 
Satellite TV Broadcasting
10 
Computer Networking Expansion
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 25, 1975
Full News Archive
- Headline: Miscast Comedy in 'Lucky Lady'. Impact: The failure of 'Luckly Lady' led to a series of misguided casting decisions in Hollywood, ultimately resulting in the creation of films that no one asked for, like 'Cats: The Musical' (the 2019 version, obviously).. Fact: Did you know that 'Luckly Lady' was so mismanaged that even the film's script was allegedly found in a dumpster behind a diner? Talk about a rough cut!.
- Headline: Exploring 'Black Bird': A Spoof Analysis. Impact: The comparison of 'Black Bird' to 'The Maltese Falcon' shifted the focus in Hollywood for decades, as studios scrambled to find the next iconic bird, leading to a bizarre trend in avian-themed mysteries that peaked with 'The Pigeon Plunderer.'. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing 'Black Bird' successfully spoofed was audience expectations. It was so bad that critics proposed an award for the worst homage, but then realized it would just be a participation trophy..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1975, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
MO
Philip Morris
Price in 1975
$0.02
2025 dataset value
$2,924,036
Philip Morris - If you invested $1,000 in 1975, it would be worth $2,924,036 today (2924.0x return)
Rank #2
BA
Boeing
Price in 1975
$0.18
2025 dataset value
$1,159,830
Boeing - If you invested $1,000 in 1975, it would be worth $1,159,830 today (1159.8x return)
Rank #3
WMT
Walmart
Price in 1975
$0.00
2025 dataset value
$32,670,879
Walmart - If you invested $1,000 in 1975, it would be worth $32,670,879 today (32670.9x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Giant-Size X-Men #1
$13,300
X-Men #94
$3,000
Marvel Preview #2
$75
The Invincible Iron Man #75
$50
Tomb of Dracula #45
$150
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Pet Rock
$100.00
Playmobil Sets
$75.00
Pogo Ball
$150.00
Weebles
$75.00
Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle
$1,050.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Gun Fight
$200.00
Pong Doubles
$50.00
Crash 'N Score
Unknown
Indy 800
$500.00
Hi-way
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1975 Topps Baseball George Brett Rookie Card
$50,400
1975 Topps Mini Robin Yount Rookie Card
$30,000.00
1975 Panini Calciatori Diego Maradona Rookie Sticker
$250,000
1975 Topps Football Lynn Swann Rookie Card
$2,500
1975 O-Pee-Chee WHA Bob Lemieux Rookie Card
$250,000