Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1989
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
World Wide Web Concept
2 
Portable Digital Assistant Concept
3 
Flash Memory
4 
Digital Mobile Phone Networks
5 
Medical Robotic Surgery Concept
6 
High-Definition Television (HDTV)
7 
Computer-Aided Geographic Information Systems
8 
Electronic Music Workstation
9 
Satellite Internet Concept
10 
Reusable Rocket Booster Studies
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON December 22, 1989
Full News Archive
- Headline: Stallone and Russell Team Up in Action Comedy. Impact: The buddy cop genre exploded after this film, leading to countless pairs of mismatched heroes. Who knew that Stallone and Russell's biceps would be responsible for influencing the rise of 'quirky buddy comedies' that would eventually lead to the creation of 'Shrek'?. Fact: Did you know that the term 'bulging biceps' has been scientifically proven to make movie critics lose all objectivity? It's true! Just ask anyone who reviewed a film starring The Rock..
- Headline: Exploring 'Camille Claudel' and Artistic Turmoil. Impact: This film inspired a generation of artists to use their pain as a canvas, leading to the rise of the 'emotional sculptor' trend in the 90s. Unfortunately, it also led to a lot of awkward dinner parties where people just stared at blocks of marble.. Fact: Fun fact: Camille Claudel was not just Rodin's collaborator but also a master of emotional turmoil. So if you ever think your day is rough, just remember that she had to deal with both a famous sculptor AND her own existential crisis..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1989, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1989
$0.28
2025 dataset value
$971,793
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1989, it would be worth $971,793 today (971.8x return)
Rank #2
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1989
$0.23
2025 dataset value
$2,127,569
Microsoft - If you invested $1,000 in 1989, it would be worth $2,127,569 today (2127.6x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Sandman #1
$300
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1
$35.00
The New Warriors #1
$50
Amazing Spider-Man #316
$30
The Punisher War Journal #7
$40
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Game Boy
$540.00
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures
$300.00
Polly Pocket
$150.00
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
$300.00
Ghostbusters Proton Pack
$300.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Tetris
$200.00
SimCity
$10.77
Prince of Persia
$150.00
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
$781.00
Golden Axe
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card
$2,726
Michael Jordan Hoops Card
$250,000
Barry Sanders Rookie Card
$6,000
Randy Johnson Rookie Card (Marlboro Ad)
$70.00
John Stockton Hoops Rookie Card
$500