Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1988
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Internet Worm
2 
Portable Laptop Computer
3 
Digital Video Compression Concept
4 
Global Positioning System Civilian Access
5 
Medical Imaging PACS Systems
6 
Touchscreen Interface Prototype
7 
Digital Signal Processor Expansion
8 
Automated Speech Recognition Systems
9 
Electronic Mail Client Software
10 
Reusable Launch Vehicle Studies
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 6, 1988
Full News Archive
- Headline: Strong Rally in Stock Market. Impact: This seemingly minor stock market rise led to a nationwide obsession with numbers, paving the way for decades of financial analysts, stockbrokers, and those people who inexplicably yell at screens while flailing their arms. All thanks to a 31.48 point increase, we now have 'financial influencers' and memes about 'to the moon' stocks. Bravo!. Fact: Did you know that a rise of 31.48 points on the Dow in 1970 is approximately equivalent to a 31,000 point rise today? Just kidding, but it sounds good, right? Markets love a good dramatization..
- Headline: E.P.A. Funding Revolutionary Waste Cleanup Technologies. Impact: By funding these 'novel ideas,' the E.P.A. inadvertently opened the floodgates for every science fair project to be funded by Uncle Sam. Imagine the future of environmental cleanup being handled by kids with glitter and soda bottles. Thanks, E.P.A., for making 'science' a little more... creative.. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more toxic than some of the waste being cleaned up is the bureaucracy involved in getting these 'novel ideas' approved. If only cleaning up waste was as easy as writing a grant proposal!.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1988, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1988
$0.31
2025 dataset value
$884,238
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1988, it would be worth $884,238 today (884.2x return)
Rank #2
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1988
$0.24
2025 dataset value
$2,037,337
Microsoft - If you invested $1,000 in 1988, it would be worth $2,037,337 today (2037.3x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Killing Joke
$75
Sandman #1
$500
Batman: A Death in the Family
$150
The Spectre #1
$42,000
Wolverine #1
$1,500
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures
$200.00
Super Powers Collection
$150.00
Ghostbusters Proton Pack
$300.00
Polly Pocket
$250.00
Micro Machines
$300.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Super Mario Bros. 3
$120.00
Mega Man 2
$200.00
Dragon Quest III
$200.00
Super Contra
$150.00
Altered Beast
$269.99
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Michael Jordan 1988 Fleer Basketball #17
$250,000
Wayne Gretzky 1988 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #1
$2,040.00
Kenner Starting Lineup Steve Young 1988 Figure Card
$600
Super Mario Bros. 1988 Topps Nintendo Game Pack #1A
$500
Bo Jackson 1988 Topps Baseball #750
$129