🧠 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
HEADLINES ON July 17, 1990
Full News Archive
- Headline: Hoboken Waterfront Development Controversy. Impact: The rejection of the waterfront plan led to a series of questionable redevelopment projects in Hoboken, which eventually inspired a reality TV show about urban planning disasters. This show sparked a nationwide trend of watching people mess up their living spaces, paving the way for home improvement shows where participants throw paint at walls and call it 'art'.. Fact: Hoboken's waterfront has been the birthplace of many things, including the 'Hoboken Sandwich', which is just a regular sandwich but with a side of disappointment..
- Headline: The Humor in Horrible Spiders. Impact: The popularity of 'Ugly, Deadly, Horrible Spiders That Are Funny' led to a cultural phenomenon where spiders became the new mascots for bravery. This inadvertently triggered a rise in arachnophobia therapy sessions, which now cost more than therapy for actual human issues.. Fact: Did you know spiders are actually beneficial to the environment? But I guess that’s not as entertaining as watching them get into slapstick situations, 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 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