WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO AUGUST 1992
Find out what all happened January to August 1992

Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. (12. March 1992)

The Great Chicago flood devastates much of central Chicago. (13. April 1992)

Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed. (29. April 1992)

Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board. A design flaw in the computer mode selection system resulted in the crew selecting the wrong rate of descent. (20. January 1992)

The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union. (7. February 1992)

A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). (17. June 1992)

In a national referendum white South Africans voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending the racist policy of Apartheid. (18. March 1992)

Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the Karabakh War. (9. May 1992)

The Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sučić on the Vrbanja Bridge. (5. April 1992)

In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison. (2. April 1992)

Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, many disappearances, hundreds of injuries, and over 3,500 arrests. (17. May 1992)

First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum. (29. February 1992)

After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show. (21. May 1992)

During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II. (17. January 1992)

Italy's most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than 2 months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions. (23. May 1992)

A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger, establishes that limiting certain rights of homosexual people and non-married couples is not equivalent to discrimination on grounds of race or gender. (23. July 1992)

Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries. (8. April 1992)

386BSD is released by Lynne Jolitz and William Jolitz beginning the Open Source Operating System Revolution. Linus Torvalds releases his Linux soon afterwards. (14. July 1992)

In an explosion in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless. (22. April 1992)

A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison. (9. April 1992)