🧠 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
The Sounds of
The biggest hits of the year — Top 10 Pop & Country chart toppers
HEADLINES ON March 28, 1996
Full News Archive
- Headline: Discovering Private Sanctuaries in Manhattan. Impact: This article inspired New Yorkers to create their own secret hideaways, leading to a boom in underground tea parties and clandestine book clubs. Little did they know, this would eventually lead to the formation of a secret society dedicated to the art of avoiding social interaction.. Fact: Fun fact: The original 'private places' were simply closets where New Yorkers would hide from their relatives during the holidays. Still in use today!.
- Headline: Oases of Privacy in Manhattan. Impact: As New Yorkers sought these 'oases,' the demand for tiny gardens and rooftop retreats skyrocketed. This led to a rise in the popularity of urban gardening, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the first rooftop farm in Manhattan—because why not grow your own kale while trying to avoid human interaction?. Fact: Did you know that prior to the urban gardening trend, New Yorkers were just growing angst and coffee? Both are still very much in demand!.
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