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 23, 1990
Full News Archive
- Headline: Masco Industries' Stock Surges on Profits. Impact: The 41 percent increase in Masco Industries' share price led to a sudden spike in the popularity of 'expert' financial advice from people who had never invested a dime. This phenomenon eventually resulted in a series of questionable investment apps that led to the rise of meme stocks, and now we’re all just one cat video away from retirement.. Fact: Did you know that stock prices can be as volatile as a toddler on a sugar high? Just ask anyone who invested in Blockbuster in the late '90s..
- Headline: Parsons Corp Announces New Leadership. Impact: The appointment of Leonard J. Pieroni as chairman and chief executive at Parsons Corp. set off a chain reaction of corporate leadership changes. This led to the popularization of the phrase 'new boss, same as the old boss,' which has propelled countless office workers into existential crises for decades.. Fact: In corporate America, the average tenure of a CEO is about 5 years—long enough to make a decent impact but short enough to dodge any blame. Fun, right?.
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