Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1990
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
World Wide Web Prototype
2 
Digital Cellular GSM Standard
3 
Photoshop Software
4 
Human Genome Project Launch
5 
Digital Audio Compression (MP3)
6 
Satellite Navigation Civil Expansion
7 
Pen-Based Computing Concept
8 
Electronic Whiteboard
9 
Medical Laparoscopic Surgery Tools
10 
Virtual Reality Headset Prototype
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON May 19, 1990
Full News Archive
- Headline: Rediscovering a Lost Love from the 60s. Impact: If this film had flopped, the entire genre of nostalgic romance might have been buried under a pile of bad 60's wigs and plaid suits, leading to a world where people only reminisce about their exes through Instagram filters.. Fact: The film's title was almost 'Eyes Wide Shut: The Prequel,' but they decided that was too on-the-nose..
- Headline: Robin Williams Shines in Cadillac Man. Impact: Had this film not been made, Robin Williams might have never discovered his talent for playing charmingly flawed characters, leading to a timeline where he only starred in serious dramas about sad clowns. Oh wait, that's still a thing.. Fact: The car salesman in the film was originally written as a magician, but they couldn't find enough rabbits to pull out of hats..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1990, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1990
$0.38
2025 dataset value
$1,285,532
Microsoft - If you invested $1,000 in 1990, it would be worth $1,285,532 today (1285.5x return)
Rank #2
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1990
$0.26
2025 dataset value
$1,043,076
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1990, it would be worth $1,043,076 today (1043.1x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
New Mutants #98
$300
Spider-Man #1
$10,000
X-Men #266
$150
Harbinger #1
$100
Detective Comics #622
$150
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures
$150.00
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
$250.00
Polly Pocket
$150.00
Pound Puppies
$75.00
Micro Machines
$300.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Super Mario World
$579.99
Final Fantasy III (Final Fantasy VI in Japan)
$200.00
Mega Man 3
$200.00
The Secret of Monkey Island
$300.00
Dr. Mario
$254.95
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1990 Topps Frank Thomas No Name on Front
$250,000
1990 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. #156
$25,000
1990 Fleer Jose Uribe #74
$50
1990 Leaf Frank Thomas #300
$8,000
1990 O-Pee-Chee Premier Jaromir Jagr #50
$1,200