Top News Stories from 1992
World Events
World Statistics
Population: 4.378 billion
population by decade Nobel Peace Prize: Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala)
More World Statistics... - Yugoslav Federation broken up (Jan. 15). US recognizes three former Yugoslav republics (April 7). UN expels Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia (Sept. 22).
- Bush and Yeltsin proclaim a formal end to the Cold War (Feb. 1).
- US lifts trade sanctions against China (Feb. 21).
- General Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, convicted in US court (April 9) and sentenced to 40 years on drug charges (July 10).
- Russian Parliament approves START treaty (Nov. 4).
- US forces leave Philippines, ending nearly a century of American military presence (Nov. 24).
- Czechoslovak Parliament approves separation into two nations (Nov. 25). Background: Czech Republic and Slovakia
- UN approves US-led force to guard food for Somalia (Dec. 3).
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed (Dec. 17).
U.S. Events
U.S. Statistics
President: George Bush
Vice President: J. Danforth Quayle
Population: 254,994,517
Life expectancy: 75.8 years
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000): 56.6
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 49.0
More U.S. Statistics... - Four officers acquitted in Los Angeles beating of Rodney King; violence erupts in Los Angeles (April 29 et seq.).
- Caspar W. Weinberger indicted in Iran-Contra affair (June 16).
- US Supreme Court reaffirms right to abortion (June 29).
- Democratic convention nominates Bill Clinton and Al Gore (July 1).
- Court clears Exxon Valdez skipper (July 10). Background: Oil Spills
- Four police officers indicted in Rodney King beating (Aug. 5).
- Republicans renominate Bush and Quayle (Aug. 20).
- Senate ratifies second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (Oct. 1).
- Bill Clinton elected President, Al Gore Vice President; Democrats keep control of Congress (Nov. 3).
- Bush pardons former Reagan Administration officials involved in Iran-Contra affair (Dec. 24).
Economics
US GDP (1998 dollars): $6,244.40 billion
Federal spending: $1380.86 billion
Federal debt $4002.1 billion
Consumer Price Index: $140.3
Unemployment: 7.5%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.29
Sports
Super Bowl
Washington d. BuffaloWorld Series
Toronto d. Atlanta BravesNBA Championship
Chicago d. PortlandStanley Cup
Pittsburgh d. ChicagoWimbledon
Women: Steffi Graf d. M. Seles (6-2 6-1)Men: Andre Agassi d. G. Ivanisevic (6-7 6-4 6-4 1-6 6-4)
Kentucky Derby Champion
Lil E. TeeNCAA Basketball Championship
Duke d. MichiganNCAA Football Champions
Alabama (13-0-0) 1992 Summer OlympicsEntertainment
Entertainment Awards
Pulitzer Prizes Fiction:
A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
Music: The Face of the Night, The Heart of the Dark, Wayne Peterson
Drama: The Kentucky Cycle, Robert Schenkkan
Academy Award, Best Picture: The Silence of the Lambs, Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt and Ron Bozman, producers (Orion)
Nobel Prize for Literature: Derek Walcott (Trinidad)
Record of the Year: "Unforgettable," Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole
Album of the Year: Unforgettable, Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (Elektra)
Song of the Year: "Unforgettable," Irving Gordon, songwriter
Miss America: Carolyn Suzanne Sapp (HI)
More Entertainment Awards... Events
- Compact discs surpass cassette tapes as the preferred medium for recorded music.
- There are 900 million television sets in use around the world; 201 million are in the United States.
- Woody Allen and Mia Farrow engage in a very public and nasty custody battle over their three children. Allen's affair with Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, sparked the feud.
- Johnny Carson hosts The Tonight Show for the last time. He had ruled late-night television for 20 years.
Movies
- Unforgiven, The Crying Game, Howards End, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Player
Books
- Robert Olen Butler, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
- Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient
- Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
Science
Nobel Prizes in Science
Chemistry: Rudolph A. Marcus (US), for his mathematical analysis of how the overall energy in a system of interacting molecules changes and induces an electron to jump from one molecule to another
Physics: George Charpak (France), for his inventions of particle detectors
Physiology or Medicine: Edmond H. Fischer and Edwin G. Krebs (both US), for their discovery of a regulatory mechanism affecting almost all cells
More Nobel Prizes in 1998... - A text-based Web browser is made available to the public (Jan.); within a few years, millions of people become regular users of the World Wide Web. Background: Computers and Internet
- 172 nations various address issues of environmental protection and sustainable development at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Some sign binding agreements to minimize global climate change and preserve biodiversity. Background: Environment & Nature
Death
- Alex Haley
- Anthony Perkins
- Isaac Asimov
- Willie Dixon
- Lawrence Welk
