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 27, 1975
Full News Archive
- Headline: Misguided Comedy: 'Luckly Lady' Explored. Impact: The disastrous reception of 'Luckly Lady' led to an industry-wide panic, causing studios to overthink every casting choice for the next decade. This ultimately resulted in the 1990s trend of casting every actor in Hollywood in a movie about golf, because apparently, that was the only safe bet left.. Fact: The film's title was so mismanaged that it led to a new genre of 'misnomer films', which are now largely found in the bargain bin of your local video store..
- Headline: Black Bird: A Spoof of The Maltese Falcon. Impact: The failure of 'Black Bird' prompted a generation of screenwriters to swear off spoofs altogether, leading to an explosion of overly serious dramas about the lives of kitchen appliances in the early 2000s. Because, you know, who doesn’t want to see a fridge's existential crisis?. Fact: 'Black Bird' was so bad that it became a cult classic among those who enjoy making fun of films that were clearly made to cash in on 'Maltese Falcon' nostalgia, proving that sometimes, the worst movies are the best at bringing people together..
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