🧠 Inventions of 1981
Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.
1 
Personal Computer (IBM PC)
2 
Graphical User Interface Concept
3 
Word Processing Software (Microsoft Word)
4 
Digital Camera Prototype Commercialization
5 
Medical Infusion Pump
6 
Local Area Network Expansion
7 
Portable Video Game Console
8 
Computer-Aided Manufacturing Software
9 
Speech Recognition System Improvement
10 
Reusable Space Shuttle Program
HEADLINES ON August 22, 1981
Full News Archive
- Headline: Exploring 'Honky Tonk Freeway' Satire. Impact: This film, while a comedic disaster, inspired a generation of filmmakers who thought, 'Hey, if they can make a mess of satire, so can we!' This led to a series of increasingly absurd parodies, culminating in the creation of reality TV. Thanks, America!. Fact: Despite its poor reception, 'Honky Tonk Freeway' is still considered a cult classic among fans who enjoy watching movies that feel like a fever dream..
- Headline: Historic Start: First Woman on Supreme Court. Impact: The appointment of the first woman to the Supreme Court sent ripples through time, igniting debates about gender roles, equality, and the fact that people in power can't seem to stop making questionable decisions, regardless of their gender.. Fact: Sandra Day O'Connor was so groundbreaking that she made the glass ceiling look more like a glass floor—everyone just kept falling through it..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1981, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #2
INTC
Intel
Price in 1981
$0.23
Value in 2025
$155,194
Intel - If you invested $1,000 in 1981, it would be worth $155,194 today (155.2x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Daredevil #181
$2,600
Uncanny X-Men #141
$1,000
Marvel Graphic Novel #1
$42,000
Moon Knight #1
$250
Saga of the Swamp Thing #1
$300
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Rubik's Cube
$150.00
LEGO Space Sets
$400.00
My Little Pony
$150.00
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
$150.00
Smurfs Figurines
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Donkey Kong
$300.00
Pac-Man
$1,500.00
Frogger
$50.00
Galaga
$262.70
Ms. Pac-Man
$33,400.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie Card
$76,250
1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela Rookie Card
$400
1981 Donruss Tim Raines Rookie Card
$1,200.00
1981 Topps Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Card
$427,000
1981 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky
$2,000