Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1983
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Cellular Telephone Commercial Launch
2 
Domain Name System (DNS)
3 
Personal Computer Mouse
4 
Compact Disc-ROM
5 
Artificial Intelligence Expert Systems
6 
Global Positioning System Deployment
7 
Portable CD Player (Discman)
8 
Medical Laser Eye Surgery
9 
Computer-Aided Drug Design
10 
Electronic Trading Systems
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 8, 1983
Full News Archive
- Headline: Impact of Airline Deregulation on Passengers. Impact: The deregulation of airlines led to a surge in travel, which ultimately resulted in the invention of the 'vacation selfie'. This not only created a culture of social media influencers but also sparked a worldwide obsession with overpriced vacations and uncomfortable airplane seats.. Fact: Did you know that for every $23 flight, there's a hidden fee of ‘you thought you could just carry that bag on?’.
- Headline: The Enchantment of Cardinal Beauty. Impact: The infatuation with the male cardinal sparked an entire subculture of birdwatching, leading to the creation of awkward first dates revolving around ‘let's go see the birds’—which, ironically, often resulted in more awkward silences than the actual birds.. Fact: Fun fact: Male cardinals are like the Kardashians of the bird world—everyone’s watching them, but no one really knows why..
- Headline: Karen Black in 'Cherry Pie'. Impact: Karen Black's performance in 'Cherry Pie' was so bland that it inspired a generation of filmmakers to create even more mediocre films, leading to the explosion of the 'so bad it's good' genre. Thanks, Karen!. Fact: Fun fact: 'Cherry Pie' became a cult classic, proving that sometimes, the fluffiest things are the hardest to digest..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1983, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #2
WMT
Walmart
Price in 1983
$0.15
2025 dataset value
$784,047
Walmart - If you invested $1,000 in 1983, it would be worth $784,047 today (784.0x return)
Rank #3
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1983
$1.11
2025 dataset value
$188,194
Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1983, it would be worth $188,194 today (188.2x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The New Teen Titans #1
$150
Saga of the Swamp Thing #20
$50
Detective Comics #526
$15
Thor #337
$50
Miracleman #2
$1,500
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Cabbage Patch Kids
$150.00
My Little Pony
$150.00
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
$150.00
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
$175.00
Star Wars Return of the Jedi Action Figures
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Mario Bros.
$600.00
Dragon'S Lair
$200.00
M.U.L.E.
$182.44
Lode Runner
$115.00
Tapper
$150.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1983 Topps Baseball Tony Gwynn Rookie Card
$2,500
1983 Topps Baseball Ryne Sandberg Rookie Card
$1,560.00
1983 Topps Baseball Wade Boggs Rookie Card
$1,500
1983 O-Pee-Chee Wrestling Hulk Hogan Card
$1,000
1983 Donruss Baseball Three’s Company - Ripken, Hrabosky, And Fingers (Card #654)
Unknown