🧠 Inventions of 1996
Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.
1 
USB Standard Deployment
2 
Online Social Network Concept
3 
Flash Memory Expansion
4 
Web-Based Mapping Service
5 
Online Education Platforms
6 
Video Conferencing Software
7 
Portable Digital Camera
8 
Speech-to-Text Software Expansion
9 
Search Engine Ranking Algorithm
10 
Online Payment Gateway
HEADLINES ON March 16, 1996
Full News Archive
- Headline: Airline Terrorists Confront Tech and Tough. Impact: When the terrorists faced off against the techie and the toughy, it inspired a generation of screenwriters who thought, 'Why not put a monkey in a baseball movie?' This led to a series of increasingly ridiculous crossovers, culminating in the cinematic masterpiece 'Monkey vs. Alien: The Ultimate Showdown' in 2047. Thanks, air travel drama!. Fact: Despite its thrilling premise, this film did not inspire a single airline safety protocol change. Shocking, right?.
- Headline: Who's on Third? A Chimp Comedy Review. Impact: The flop of 'Who's on Third? A Chimp?' set back the reputation of baseball-themed films, leading to a 20-year hiatus on any serious sports comedies. This allowed 'Sharknado' to exist, which, let's be honest, is a much more plausible scenario than a chimp playing in the majors.. Fact: This movie's failure was so monumental that even the chimp was like, 'I could've done better with my time.'.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1996, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #2
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1996
$3.43
Value in 2025
$141,245
Microsoft - If you invested $1,000 in 1996, it would be worth $141,245 today (141.2x return)
Rank #3
AAPL
Apple
Price in 1996
$0.24
Value in 2025
$1,130,051
Apple - If you invested $1,000 in 1996, it would be worth $1,130,051 today (1130.1x return)
🦸 Top 5 Comics
Ultimate Spider-Man #1
$150
Superman: The Wedding Album
$150
Kingdom Come #1
$120
The Amazing Spider-Man #418
$4.00
Preacher #12
$150
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Tickle Me Elmo
$125.00
Beanie Babies
$10.00
Tamagotchi
$200.00
Space Jam Action Figures
$150.00
Nintendo 64
$300.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Super Mario 64
$200.00
Tomb Raider
$200.00
Resident Evil
$243.85
Quake
$24.48
Pokã©Mon Red And Blue
$150.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Charizard - Base Set (Shadowless) - 1st Edition
$300,000
Kobe Bryant Fleer Ultra Rookie Card
$1,200
Allen Iverson Topps Chrome Rookie Card
$3,000
Michael Jordan 1996 Skybox E-X2000 A Cut Above
$4,500
Delver Lens of Truth - 1996 Magic: The Gathering World Championship
$250,000