🧠 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 31, 1996
Full News Archive
- Headline: Backtalk;Who's on Verse?. Impact: If 'Casey at the Bat' hadn't captured hearts, poetry might have shifted entirely toward haikus about cats – because who doesn't love a good feline ode?. Fact: The poem's message might just be that failure is a part of life, but let's be honest, Casey probably just needed a better coach..
- Headline: NEW YORKERS & CO.;Signs of the Medieval Times. Impact: The quirky trade signs could inspire a future where all businesses have elaborate, three-dimensional signs, leading to the rise of ‘sign wars’ in every neighborhood.. Fact: Those quirky signs are basically the medieval version of Yelp reviews, just with less complaining and more craftsmanship..
- Headline: NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN;Tickets, Tow Trucks, Cat and Mouse. Impact: If the cat-and-mouse game between merchants and tow trucks hadn't been documented, we might now have an Olympic sport dedicated to parking disputes.. Fact: Tow truck drivers could write a bestselling novel based on the drama they witness daily. Think of the cliffhangers!.
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