🧠 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
The Sounds of
The biggest hits of the year — Top 10 Pop & Country chart toppers
HEADLINES ON November 21, 1981
Full News Archive
- Headline: 'RAGTIME' Explores History Through Art. Impact: When 'RAGTIME' hit the stage, it didn't just revive the past; it inadvertently inspired a generation of hipster historians who think wearing a monocle and sipping artisanal coffee makes them experts on the early 20th century. Thanks, Doctorow!. Fact: Did you know that 'RAGTIME' is the only musical where you can hear both the sound of history and the collective groan of high school students forced to read it for class?.
- Headline: 'They All Laughed' Overview. Impact: In the wake of 'THEY ALL LAUGHED,' a new genre of romantic comedies emerged, leading to an avalanche of films where misunderstandings and awkward moments reign supreme—because who needs originality when you can just watch couples trip over their own feelings?. Fact: Did you know that the amount of laughter in romantic comedies is directly proportional to how far the plot strays from reality? In this case, it's a mess, and they all laughed—mostly at the script!.
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