[Infographic]: The Consumer Inventions Of The Last 3 Decades

With 2020 slowly coming to a close and it being nearly 30 years since the 90s began, we wanted to look back at some of the most iconic inventions.

The 90s were a great time to be alive – from iconic toys like Furbies and Beanie Babies to primetime TV shows like Supermarket Sweep, things were constantly being invented and people love looking back on those years, even today!

From the first-ever game console in 1972 to the DVD in 1996, technology was – and still is – constantly innovating.

Did you know?

• The digital camera was created in 1990 – with phone cameras now being able to store 1,667 3MB photos, we’ve come a long way in 30 years
• The first ever text – something that we now take for granted – was sent in ’92 to the Vodafone Director
• DVDs seem to be a thing of the past now – with streaming services taking over and the likes of Disney+ launching, but DVDs replaced VHS tapes back in ’96

RS Components has created a timeline of things that were invented in the 90s and 2000s – Here is a brief compiled timeline below:

Some iconic inventions over the last few decades and when they were created:

Jacuzzis: Roy Jacuzzi introduced the first bathtub with a built-in whirlpool system, the jacuzzi, in 1968. Roy realised there was a market for leisure fitness growing so he set out to create a bathtub big enough for a ‘relaxing soak’.

Beanie Baby: In 1993 the original nine Beanies are released. They consisted of Cubbie the bear, Pinchers the lobster, Chocolate the moose, Squealer the pig, Splash the whale, Flash the whale, Legs the frog, Spot the dog and Patti the platypus.

DVD: Digital Video Disks (DVD) replaced VHS tapes and unlike the cassette, they were extremely popular and much more compact. No-one can claim to have invented the DVD, but Toshiba was credited with the first player.

But what about the 90s? A time when tech really started to innovate and change the industry (and world) forever. From text messages and USB cables to the first web page being built, the graphic below reveals the most iconic inventions from the 90s.

Fast forward to the 2000s…

Camera phones:  The first mobile phone with a camera was introduced in South Korea and could take 20 photos with a resolution of less than half a megapixel. Modern phones can now take photos of 12 megapixels or higher.

Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg launched ‘thefacebook.com‘ in February 2004. It’s been predicted that Facebook’s user base grows by approximately eight people per second, or 7,246 people every 15 minutes.

The iPhone: In 2007, Steve Jobs launched the iPhone, the first U.S. smartphone without a physical keypad. The phone went on to become the best-selling gadget in history, with over 1 billion sold to date. People can now be connected to their friends and family 24 hours a day.

Siri: In 2010, Apple’s digital assistant Siri was released as an app for iOS. For the first time, users could ask for information and directions, and prompt other phone functions, just by speaking to their iPhone.

Methodology:

RS Components has analysed top inventions of every year from 1930 to find out what was invented the year you were born. For any year where there was more than one invention for the year, the significant invention was chosen.

To find out what was invented the year you were born, use this tool by RS Components here.