Inventions & Breakthroughs of July 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 July 5, 1990
Full News Archive
- Headline: Lightweight Picnic Gear Revolutionizes Outdoor Dining. Impact: The introduction of lightweight picnic gear led to an explosion of outdoor dining culture. This ultimately resulted in a boom in the sunscreen industry, as people, blissfully unaware of the sun’s power, fried like bacon. Who knew a simple picnic could fuel a multi-billion dollar industry in skin protection?. Fact: Did you know that the first picnic was a fancy affair for the upper crust of society? Today, it involves ants, questionable potato salad, and the eternal struggle of fitting everything into a cooler..
- Headline: Former Comex Leader Joins Bloom & Company. Impact: Staloff's move from the Commodity Exchange to a securities firm sparked a chain reaction in the business world, leading to the establishment of 'The Great Suit Swap' of the 90s, where executives exchanged their ties for casual Fridays and their dignity for corporate jargon.. Fact: Fun fact: Corporate executives have a higher chance of changing jobs than they do of changing their laundry detergent. Apparently, job-hopping is more common than personal hygiene!.
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