Inventions & Breakthroughs of October 1981
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
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
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON October 30, 1981
Full News Archive
- Headline: LOOKER: A Sinister Computer Thriller. Impact: If this movie hadn't come out, the entire genre of computer thrillers might have been delayed by at least a decade. Imagine a world without 'The Matrix' or 'WarGames'—the internet could have taken over without a good old-fashioned paranoia-fueled panic!. Fact: This movie was so slick that some critics speculated it might have been a marketing ploy by computer companies to instill a healthy fear of technology in the masses. Because nothing says 'buy our products' like a movie about them going rogue!.
- Headline: Halloween II: A Horror Sequel Classic. Impact: The success of 'Halloween II' paved the way for the endless sequels and remakes we endure today. If it hadn’t been a hit, we might have a world where horror movies don't rely on rehashing the same tired tropes every Halloween. Oh wait, never mind.. Fact: The film is considered a 'class act' in the horror genre, which is a bit like calling a clown sophisticated. It’s all fun and games until someone loses a limb, or in this case, an audience's faith in originality!.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1981, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #2
INTC
Intel
Price in 1981
$0.23
2025 dataset value
$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