🧠 Inventions of 1990
Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.
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
The biggest hits of the year — Top 10 Pop & Country chart toppers
HEADLINES ON May 22, 1990
Full News Archive
- Headline: Masco Industries' Share Price Surge. Impact: If Masco Industries' share price had not soared by 41%, we might have avoided a future where people think investing in stocks is a guaranteed way to get rich quick. Thanks, Masco, for setting us up for the dot-com bubble and our collective financial heartbreak!. Fact: Did you know that 'Masco' is derived from the term 'masochistic capitalists'? Okay, I made that up, but it sounds plausible given the rollercoaster of stock markets!.
- Headline: Parsons Corp Appoints New Leadership. Impact: Leonard J. Pieroni taking the reins at Parsons Corp. may have inadvertently led to the construction of numerous questionable structures, including the infamous 'Parsons Pile'—a monument to all bad architectural decisions that still haunts urban landscapes today.. Fact: Fun fact: the average age of a corporate chairman is actually older than the average lifespan of a houseplant. Clearly, they’re not the same species!.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1990, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #1
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1990
$0.38
Value in 2025
$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
Value in 2025
$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