Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 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 August 29, 1984
Full News Archive
- Headline: New Newsprint Machine Revolutionizes Production. Impact: The addition of a new newsprint machine in 1981 led to an explosion of printed media, which eventually resulted in countless cat memes being shared online. Without this machine, who knows if the internet would have ever been graced with such feline wisdom?. Fact: Did you know that newsprint is actually made from trees? Shocking, I know! It's almost like the paper industry relies on nature or something..
- Headline: Workers Buying Their Companies: A Path Forward. Impact: When workers took over companies in the 1980s, they inadvertently paved the way for modern-day corporate shenanigans like 'employee engagement surveys' that nobody actually wants to fill out. Thanks a lot, guys!. Fact: Fun fact: The last time employees bought out a company, they also bought a lifetime supply of office donuts. Coincidence? I think not!.
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