Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1984
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Graphical User Interface Computer (Macintosh)
2 
Inkjet Printer (Consumer)
3 
Medical DNA Fingerprinting
4 
Compact Laptop Computer
5 
Digital Music Synthesizer
6 
Video Cassette Rental System
7 
Speech-to-Text Software
8 
Advanced Prosthetic Limb Control
9 
Optical Fiber Network Expansion
10 
Personal Desktop Publishing
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON January 6, 1984
Full News Archive
- Headline: Yachtsmen Challenge Kaiser in 'Riddle'. Impact: The slow, affable yacht race between the yachtsmen and the Kaiser inadvertently sparked a global obsession with competitive sailing. Fast forward a century, and we have the America’s Cup, where billionaires race yachts just to see who can waste the most money at sea. Thanks, Kaiser!. Fact: Did you know that the Kaiser was actually a terrible sailor? He once tried to steer a ship and ended up in a different country. Talk about a maritime faux pas!.
- Headline: Leadership Change at Great Northern Corporation. Impact: The succession at Great Northern set off a chain reaction that led to a series of corporate power struggles resembling a Shakespearean tragedy, only with more spreadsheets and fewer dramatic soliloquies. Spoiler: nobody ends up happy.. Fact: Fun fact: Corporate succession planning is just a fancy term for 'who gets the corner office and the gold-plated stapler next?'.
- Headline: Connecticut Bridges and Dams Repair Proposal. Impact: The proposal to repair bridges and dams in Connecticut set off years of bureaucratic debates about infrastructure funding, which ultimately led to more potholes than repaired bridges. And thus, the modern American road trip became a game of ‘dodge the crater’!. Fact: Did you know that raising the gasoline tax by just 2 cents gets you closer to becoming a state legend? If only they knew it would cost them a fortune in coffee and snacks on those endless road trips..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1984, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
WMT
Walmart
Price in 1984
$0.23
2025 dataset value
$490,961
Walmart - If you invested $1,000 in 1984, it would be worth $490,961 today (491.0x return)
Rank #2
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1984
$0.94
2025 dataset value
$222,603
Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1984, it would be worth $222,603 today (222.6x return)
Rank #3
MCD
McDonald's
Price in 1984
$1.18
2025 dataset value
$271,190
McDonald's - If you invested $1,000 in 1984, it would be worth $271,190 today (271.2x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
$100,000
Secret Wars #8
$150
The New Teen Titans #1
$200
Saga of the Swamp Thing #25
$60
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1
$300
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Transformers
$1,200.00
Cabbage Patch Kids
$150.00
Voltron
$200.00
Masters of the Universe: He-Man
$150.00
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
$143.75
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Tetris
$1,000.00
Duck Hunt
$275.00
Marble Madness
$100.00
Boulder Dash
$100.00
Kung-Fu Master
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Don Mattingly Rookie Card #8
$3,000
Dan Marino Rookie Card #123
$30,000
John Elway Rookie Card #63
$15,250
Darryl Strawberry Rookie Card #182
$200
Hulk Hogan Rookie Card #1
$41,000