Inventions & Breakthroughs of July 1996
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
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
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON July 30, 1996
Full News Archive
- Headline: Jordan's Olympic Visit for Underwear Line. Impact: Michael Jordan's foray into underwear design created a ripple effect that led to a global obsession with athlete-branded products. Soon after, every athlete felt the need to sell everything from socks to scented candles, leading to an era where you could buy a LeBron James 'Fresh Scent' air freshener.. Fact: Did you know that Jordan’s underwear line is actually more popular than his Space Jam sequel? Apparently, people prefer their shorts to be less about 'legacy' and more about 'comfort'!.
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1996, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #2
MSFT
Microsoft
Price in 1996
$3.43
2025 dataset value
$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
2025 dataset value
$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