1992

Events from the year **1992 in the United States**.

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: H. Guy Hunt (Republican)
* Governor of Alaska: Wally Hickel (Republican)
* Governor of Arizona: Fife Symington III (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Bill Clinton (Democratic) (until December 12), Jim Guy Tucker (Democratic) (starting December 12)
* Governor of California: Pete Wilson (Republican)
* Governor of Colorado: Roy Romer (Democratic)
* Governor of Connecticut: Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (A Connecticut)
* Governor of Delaware: Michael N. Castle (Republican) (until December 31), Dale E. Wolf (Republican) (starting December 31)
* Governor of Florida: Lawton Chiles (Democratic)
* Governor of Georgia: Zell Miller (Democratic)
* Governor of Hawaii: John D. Waihee III (Democratic)
* Governor of Idaho: Cecil D. Andrus (Democratic)
* Governor of Illinois: Jim Edgar (Republican)
* Governor of Indiana: Evan Bayh (Democratic)
* Governor of Iowa: Terry E. Branstad (Republican)
* Governor of Kansas: Joan Finney (Democratic)
* Governor of Kentucky: Brereton Jones (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Buddy Roemer (Democratic) (until January 13), Edwin W. Edwards (Democratic) (starting January 13)
* Governor of Maine: John R. McKernan Jr. (Republican)
* Governor of Maryland: William Donald Schaefer (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: William F. Weld (Republican)
* Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican)
* Governor of Minnesota: Arne H. Carlson (Republican)
* Governor of Mississippi: Ray Mabus (Democratic) (until January 14), Kirk Fordice (Republican) (starting January 14)
* Governor of Missouri: John Ashcroft (Republican)
* Governor of Montana: Stan Stephens (Republican)
* Governor of Nebraska: Ben Nelson (Democratic)
* Governor of Nevada: Bob Miller (Democratic)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Judd Gregg (Republican)
* Governor of New Jersey: James Florio (Democratic)
* Governor of New Mexico: Bruce King (Democratic)
* Governor of New York: Mario Cuomo (Democratic)
* Governor of North Carolina: James G. Martin (Republican)
* Governor of North Dakota: George A. Sinner (Democratic) (until December 15), Ed Schafer (Republican) (starting December 15)
* Governor of Ohio: George Voinovich (Republican)
* Governor of Oklahoma: David Walters (Democratic)
* Governor of Oregon: Barbara Roberts (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Robert P. Casey (Democratic)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Bruce Sundlun (Democratic)
* Governor of South Carolina: Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (Republican)
* Governor of South Dakota: George S. Mickelson (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Ned McWherter (Democratic)
* Governor of Texas: Ann Richards (Democratic)
* Governor of Utah: Norman H. Bangerter (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic)
* Governor of Virginia: Douglas Wilder (Democratic)
* Governor of Washington: Booth Gardner (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Gaston Caperton (Democratic)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican)
* Governor of Wyoming: Mike Sullivan (Democratic)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Jim Folsom Jr. (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Jack Coghill (Alaskan Independence)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Jim Guy Tucker (Democratic) (until December 12), vacant (starting December 12)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Leo T. McCarthy (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Mike Callihan (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Eunice Groark (A Connecticut)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Dale E. Wolf (Republican) (until December 31), vacant (starting December 31)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Buddy MacKay (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Pierre Howard (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Bob Kustra (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Joy Corning (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Jim Francisco (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Paul Hardy (Republican) (until January 13), Melinda Schwegmann (Democratic) (starting January 13)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Melvin A. Steinberg (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Connie Binsfeld (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Joanell Dyrstad (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Brad Dye (Democratic) (until January 14), Eddie Briggs (Republican) (starting January 14)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Mel Carnahan (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Denny Rehberg (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Maxine Moul (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Sue Wagner (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Casey Luna (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Stan Lundine (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: James Carson Gardner (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Lloyd Omdahl (Democratic) (until December 15), Rosemarie Myrdal (Republican) (starting December 15)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Mike DeWine (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Jack Mildren (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark Singel (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Roger N. Begin (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Nick Theodore (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Walter Dale Miller (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Bob Bullock (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: W. Val Oveson (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: vacant
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Don Beyer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Joel Pritchard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Scott McCallum (Republican)

## Events

### January

* January 1 – George H. W. Bush becomes the first U.S. President to address the Australian Parliament.
* January 8 – George H. W. Bush is televised falling violently ill at a state dinner in Japan, vomiting into the lap of Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and fainting.
* January 5 – Seventeen-year-old Kelly Dae Wilson disappears in Gilmer, Texas. Her case became one of the biggest unsolved missing-persons cases in Texas.
* January 11 – Twelve-year-old Shanda Sharer is tortured and burned to death by four teenage girls in Madison, Indiana. The crime attracts international attention due to its brutality and the young age of the perpetrators.
* January 26
	+ Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
	+ Super Bowl XXVI: The Washington Redskins defeat the Buffalo Bills 37–24 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

### February

* February 1 – The United States Coast Guard begins deporting the first of some 14,000 refugees from Haiti.
* February 10
	+ Tom Harkin wins the Iowa Democratic Caucus.
	+ In Indianapolis, Indiana, boxer Mike Tyson is convicted of raping Desiree Washington.
* February 17 – A court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sentences serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to life in prison.
* February 18 – In New Hampshire, U.S. President George H. W. Bush defeats Pat Buchanan in the Republican primary; Paul Tsongas leads the Democratic candidates.

### March

* March 10 – On 'Super Tuesday', U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton win most of the primaries held.
* March 18 – On CNN's *Larry King Live*, Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot announces that he will run for U.S. president as an independent if volunteers put him on the ballot in all 50 states.
* March 30 – The 64th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, with Jonathan Demme's *The Silence of the Lambs* winning five awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Barry Levinson's *Bugsy* leads the nominations with ten. The telecast garners over 44 million viewers.
* March 31 – USS *Missouri* (BB-63), the last active U.S. Navy battleship, is decommissioned at Long Beach, California.

### April

* April 2 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of the murder of mob boss Paul Castellano and racketeering, and is later sentenced to life in prison.
* April 5 – Approximately 500,000 people march on Washington, D.C. in support of abortion rights in advance of oral arguments in the case *Planned Parenthood v. Casey*.
* April 6
	+ Microsoft releases Windows 3.1.
	+ *Barney & Friends* debuts on PBS.
* April 8 – Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 48, announces that he is suffering from the AIDS virus, which he is believed to have contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in 1983. He had been diagnosed with HIV more than three years prior.
* April 9 – A Miami, Florida jury convicts former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega of assisting Colombia's cocaine cartel.
* April 13 – The Chicago Flood occurs, causing approximately $2 billion in damages to the city (equivalent to $4.12 billion in 2022).
* April 25 – The 7.2 Mw Cape Mendocino earthquake shakes the north coast of California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (*Violent*), causing $48.3–75 million in losses and 98–356 injuries. This was the first instrumentally recorded event that showed shallow angle thrust movement on the southern Cascadia Subduction Zone. Two triggered strike-slip events caused additional destruction the following day.
* April 29 – In Simi Valley, California, a jury acquits four LAPD police officers accused of excessive force in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, causing the 1992 Los Angeles riots and leading to 53 deaths and $1 billion in damage.

### May

* May 1 – Eric Houston of Yuba County kills four, injures nine, and holds many others hostage at Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst, California.
* May 5 – Alabama ratifies a 202-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a midterm or retroactive pay raise.
* May 16 – STS-49: Space Shuttle *Endeavour* lands safely after a successful maiden voyage.
* May 19
	+ In San Francisco, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle gives his famous *Murphy Brown* speech.
	+ In Massapequa, New York, Amy Fisher shoots Mary Jo Buttafuoco, wife of Joey Buttafuoco.
* May 22 – After 30 years, Johnny Carson retires as host of NBC's *The Tonight Show*.
* May 25 – Jay Leno becomes the new host of NBC's *The Tonight Show*, following the retirement of Johnny Carson.

### June

* June 1 – Kentucky celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
* June 2 – As a result of the early 1990s recession and subsequent sluggish job creation, unemployment peaks at 7.8%, a level not seen since March 1984. This would contribute to President George H. W. Bush's defeat to Bill Clinton in the election later that year.
* June 15 – During a spelling bee at a Trenton, New Jersey elementary school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle erroneously corrects a student's spelling of the word *potato*, indicating it should have an e at the end.
* June 16 – A federal grand jury indicts Caspar Weinberger for his role in covering up the Iran–Contra affair.
* June 17 – A 'Joint Understanding' agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this is later codified in START II).
* June 23 – Mafia boss John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison, after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering on April 2.
* June 24
	+ The Franco-American Flag is officially raised for the first time in Manchester, New Hampshire. The flag was presented by singer Édith Butler as part of a tour.
	+ The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in *Planned Parenthood v. Casey*, the first landmark abortion case since *Roe v. Wade*. In Casey the Court decided to uphold the "essential holding" of *Roe* that a woman has the right to an abortion but introduced a new "undue burden" standard which allows states to impose certain regulation so long as those regulations did not create a "substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability."
* June 28
	+ The 7.3 Mw Landers earthquake shakes the Mojave Desert region of Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (*Violent*), causing $92 million in losses, three deaths and 400+ injuries.
	+ The 6.5 Mw Big Bear earthquake shakes the San Bernardino Mountains region of Southern California about three hours later. This triggered event had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (*Severe*), causing moderate damage and some injuries.

### July

* July 10 – In Miami, Florida, former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug and racketeering violations.
* July 16 – Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is nominated for U.S. president and Tennessee Senator Al Gore for vice president at the Democratic National Convention in New York City.

### August

* August 11 – The largest shopping mall in the U.S., Minnesota's Mall of America, constructed on 78 acres (316,000 m2), opens in Bloomington.
* August 20 – The Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas re-nominates U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle. Pat Buchanan, one of Bush's opponents in the primaries, delivers a controversial convention speech, in which he refers to a "religious war" in the country.
* August 21 – Events at Ruby Ridge, Idaho are sparked by a federal U.S. Marshal surveillance team, resulting in the death of a Marshal, Sam Weaver, and his dog, and the next day the wounding of Randy Weaver, the death of his wife Vicki, and the wounding of Kevin Harris.
* August 24 – Hurricane Andrew hits south Florida and dissipates over the Tennessee valley, killing 65 and causing US$26.5 billion in damage.

### September

* September 5 – *Batman: The Animated Series* premieres on Fox Kids.
* September 11 – Hurricane Iniki hits the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai and Oahu.
* September 12 – STS-47: Dr. Mae Jemison becomes the first African American woman to travel into space, aboard the Space Shuttle *Endeavour*.
* September 24
	+ The Kentucky Supreme Court, in *Kentucky v. Wasson*, holds that laws criminalizing same-sex sodomy are unconstitutional, and accurately predicts that other states and the nation will eventually rule the same way.
	+ The Sci-Fi Channel launches with a broadcast of Star Wars.

### October

* October 1 – The Turner Broadcasting System's Cartoon Network goes on the air. The Merrie Melodies short, *Rhapsody Rabbit*, is the very first cartoon to be broadcast on the network.
* October 2 – Pittsburgh International Airport's new facility opens in Findlay Township, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The new terminal is built as an expansion for USAir and an upgrade from the older Pittsburgh International Airport facility.
* October 3 – After performing a song protesting alleged child abuse by the Catholic Church, Sinéad O'Connor rips up a photo of Pope John Paul II on *Saturday Night Live*, causing huge controversy, leading the switchboards at NBC to ring off the hook.
* October 8 – The video game *Mortal Kombat* is released.
* October 9
	+ The Chief of Naval Operations adopts the U.S. Navy's core values: Honor, Courage and Commitment.
	+ A 13-kilogram (29-pound) meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family's Chevrolet Malibu. It becomes known as the Peekskill Meteorite.
* October 17 – Yoshihiro Hattori, a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student, mistakes the address of a party and is shot dead after knocking on the wrong door in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooter, Rodney Peairs, is later acquitted, sparking outrage in Japan.
* October 26 – Dry Tortugas National Park is established.
* October 29 – The Food and Drug Administration approves Depo-Provera for use as a contraceptive in the United States.
* October 31 – The pilot episode for *X-Men* airs on Fox Kids.

### November

* November 3 – Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeats incumbent President George H. W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot in the U.S. presidential election.
* November 25
	+ *The Bodyguard*, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, debuts in cinemas; it goes on to become the second highest-grossing film of the year with nearly $122 million in revenue in the U.S. and exceeding $410 million worldwide.
	+ Walt Disney Pictures' 31st feature film, *Aladdin*, is released to critical and commercial success. It goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year and (at the time) the highest-grossing animated film of all time, earning over $504 million worldwide, the first animated film to cross the half-billion-dollar mark. It is also the last entirely fairytale-based adaptation released by Disney until 2010's *Tangled*.

### December

* December 3 – U.N. Security Council Resolution 794 is unanimously passed, approving a coalition of United Nations peacekeepers led by the United States to form UNITAF, tasked with ensuring humanitarian aid gets distributed and establishing peace in Somalia.
* December 4 – U.S. military forces land in Somalia.
* December 5 – Kent Conrad of North Dakota resigns his seat in the United States Senate and is sworn into the other seat from North Dakota, becoming the only U.S. Senator ever to have held two seats on the same day.
* December 8 – Lawrence Eagleburger is sworn in as the new Secretary of State, succeeding James Baker.
* December 15 – Hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre releases his solo debut studio album *The Chronic*, which sparks the beginning of the mainstream popularity and success of Gangsta Rap, G-Funk and West Coast Hip-Hop in the United States (a run that lasts from the early-to-mid-1990s).
* December 28 – First of four child deaths resulting from the Jack in the Box *E. coli* outbreak.

## Memoriam

* January 23 – Ian Wolfe, actor (aged 95; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* January 27 – Allan Jones, actor and singer (aged 84; New York City, NY, USA)
* January 29 – Willie Dixon, blues musician (aged 76; Burbank, CA, USA)
* February 3 – Junior Cook, musician (aged 57; New York City, NY, USA)
* February 7 – Buzz Sawyer, wrestler and trainer (aged 32; Sacramento, CA, USA)
* February 8 – Bazoline Estelle Usher, African American educator (aged 106; Atlanta, GA, USA)
* February 9 – Jack Kinney, animator (aged 82; Glendale, CA, USA)
* February 10 – Alex Haley, writer and author (aged 70; Seattle, WA, USA)
* February 13 – Dorothy Tree, actress (aged 85; Englewood, NJ, USA)
* February 27 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-born academic and Senator for California (aged 85; Greenbrae, CA, USA)
* March 4 – Art Babbitt, animator (aged 84; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 8 – Champ Butler, singer (aged 65; Kittitas, WA, USA)
* March 26 – Barbara Frum, American-born Canadian radio and television journalist (aged 54; Toronto, ON, Canada)
* April 4 – Arthur Russell, cellist and composer (aged 40; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 5
	+ Molly Picon, Yiddish-language actress (aged 94; Lancaster, PA, USA)
	+ Sam Walton, businessman, founder of Wal-Mart (aged 74; Little Rock, AR, USA)
* April 6 – Isaac Asimov, Russian-born science-fiction author (aged 72; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 10 – Sam Kinison, comedian (aged 38; Needles, CA, USA)
* April 14
	+ David Miller, film director (aged 82; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Sammy Price, pianist and bandleader (aged 83; New York City, NY, USA)
* May 13 – Dawon Kahng, Korean-born electrical engineer (aged 61; New Brunswick, NJ, USA)
* May 30 – Antoni Zygmund, Polish-born mathematician (aged 91; Chicago, IL, USA)
* June 6 – Larry Riley, actor (aged 38; Burbank, CA, USA)
* June 22 – M. F. K. Fisher, food writer (aged 83; Glen Ellen, CA, USA)
* July 7 – Grace Carlson, politician (aged 85; Waterford, CT, USA)
* July 13 – Alex Wojciechowicz, American football player (aged 76; Forked River, NJ, USA)
* July 27 – Anthony Salerno, mobster (aged 80; Springfield, MO, USA)
* August 1 – Chris McCandless, hiker (aged 24; Stampede Trail, AK, USA)
* September 1 – Morris Carnovsky, actor (aged 94; Easton, CT, USA)
* September 21 – Bill Williams, actor (aged 77; Burbank, CA, USA)
* September 29 – Paul Jabara, actor and singer-songwriter (aged 44; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* October 2 – Vincent Hallinan, lawyer and candidate (aged 95; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* October 22 – Cleavon Little, stage, film, and television actor (aged 53; Sherman Oaks, CA, USA)
* October 25 – Roger Miller, singer-songwriter, musician and actor (aged 56; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 2 – Hal Roach, film and television producer, director and actor (aged 100; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 8
	+ Larry Levan, DJ (aged 38; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Ian Stuart Spiro, commodities broker (aged 45; San Diego, CA, USA)
* November 19 – Diane Varsi, actress (aged 54; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* December 8 – William Shawn, editor of The New Yorker (aged 85; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 17 – Dana Andrews, actor (aged 83; Los Alamitos, CA, USA)
* December 18 – Mark Goodson, television producer (aged 77; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 27 – Stephen Albert, composer (aged 51; Truro, MA, USA)
* December 28 – Sal Maglie, baseball player (aged 75; Niagara Falls, NY, USA)
* December 30 – Timothy S. Healy, Jesuit priest and academic administrator (aged 69; Elizabeth, NJ, USA)