🧠 Inventions of 1980
Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.
1 
Portable Personal Computer
2 
Compact Disc (CD)
3 
Charge-Coupled Device Camera Expansion
4 
Medical MRI Scanner Commercial Use
5 
Digital Signal Processor
6 
Electronic Spreadsheet Software
7 
Home Video Game Console Expansion
8 
Industrial Laser Cutting Systems
9 
Automatic Blood Glucose Meter
10 
Satellite Navigation Expansion
The Sounds of
The biggest hits of the year — Top 10 Pop & Country chart toppers
HEADLINES ON October 24, 1980
Full News Archive
- Headline: Sinatra's Role in 'First Deadly Sin'. Impact: Frank Sinatra's portrayal of a cop in 'First Deadly Sin' inadvertently inspired a generation of overdramatic detectives in film and television, leading to the creation of countless 'gritty' cop dramas where the protagonists always have family troubles and a penchant for brooding. Thanks, Frank, for the emotional baggage.. Fact: Did you know that Sinatra was so charismatic that he could probably convince a slice of bread to run for president? Spoiler alert: the bread would still get more votes than some politicians..
- Headline: 'Loving Couples': An Exploration of Swapping. Impact: 'Loving Couples' sparked the 'open relationship' trend that led to an era where communication became more about texting than talking. Who knew that swapping partners would lead to swapping emojis and endless group chats?. Fact: Fun fact: 'swapping' in relationships is just a fancy term for 'I can't commit but I still want to Netflix and chill.'.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1980, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #1
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1980
$0.10
Value in 2025
$2,766,454
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1980, it would be worth $2,766,454 today (2766.5x return)
Rank #3
INTC
Intel
Price in 1980
$0.18
Value in 2025
$199,890
Intel - If you invested $1,000 in 1980, it would be worth $199,890 today (199.9x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The New Teen Titans #1
$75
The X-Men #137
$400
Savage She-Hulk #1
$276
Dazzler #1
$900
The Untold Legend of the Batman #1
$20,000
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Rubik's Cube
$150.00
Atari 2600
$2,500.00
Star Wars Action Figures
$300.00
The Empire Strikes Back Tauntaun
$150.00
LEGO Space Sets
$400.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Pac-Man
$50.00
Centipede
$95.00
Missile Command
$33,400.00
Zork I: The Great Underground Empire
$212.30
Rogue
$100.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1980 Topps Baseball Rickey Henderson Rookie Card
$138,000
1980 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Card
$125,000
1980 Topps Larry Bird / Magic Johnson Rookie Card with Julius Erving
$500,000
1980 Panini Soccer Stickers Diego Maradona
$250,000
1980 Donruss Golf Jack Nicklaus Card
$0.00