rebellion to protest the declaration, and Serbian
troops attack Sarajevo, the capital. (Dec. 4) Amer-
ican military forces arrive in Somalia.
Society: (Jun. 15) Vice President Dan Quayle “loses”
a spelling bee at a Trenton, New Jersey, elemen-
tary school when he mistakenly tells a student
that the word “potato” should have an “e” at the
end. (Sept. 24) Ruling in the case ofKentucky v.
Wasson, the Kentucky Supreme Court holds that
laws criminalizing same-sex sodomy are unconsti-
tutional. High courts in other states—and ulti-
mately the U.S. Supreme Court—will subse-
quently issue similar opinions.
Business and economics: (Apr. 12) The Euro-
Disney amusement park officially opens in Paris.
(Aug. 11) The seventy-eight-acre Mall of America,
America’s largest shopping center, opens in
Bloomington, Minnesota. (Aug. 18) Wang Labo-
ratories, a computer company based in Tewks-
bury, Massachusetts, files for bankruptcy.
Transportation and communications:(Oct. 1) The
Pittsburgh International Airport seeks to up-
grade its facilities by opening a new building to
house the expanded operations of USAir (later
US Airways).
Science and technology:(Jan. 22) Roberta Bondar, a
neurologist, joins the crew of the space shuttle
Discover y, becoming the first Canadian woman in
space. (Mar. 18) Windows 3.1, a new graphical
user interface that is part of the Microsoft Win-
dows software program, is released. (Sept. 12)
Mae Jemison, a physician, becomes the first Afri-
can American woman to travel into space when
she joins the crew of the space shuttleEndeavour.
Environment and health:Nicoderm, the first trans-
dermal patch to help smokers break their habit, is
introduced. (June, 1992) U.S. senator Al Gore,
who will be elected vice president in November,
publishesEarth in the Balance, in which he outlines
ecological problems and suggests policies aimed
at solving the most pressing concerns. (Jun. 8)
The Earth Summit is held in Rio de Janeiro, Bra-
zil, with 172 governments participating. The dele-
gates adopt a Climate Change Protocol. As part of
the summit, the first World Ocean Day is held.
This annual holiday aims to protect and preserve
the world’s oceans and the fish and other prod-
ucts the oceans provide. (Oct. 29) The Food and
Drug Administration approves Depo-Provera for
use as a contraceptive.
Arts and literature:Dolores Claiborneby Stephan King
andThe Way Things Ought to Beby Rush Limbaugh
are, respectively, the best-selling fiction and non-
fiction books of the year.Dancing at Lughnasaby
Brian Friel receives both the Tony and New York
Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play of- (Apr.) Jane Smiley’s novelA Thousand Acres,
James Tate’sSelected Poems, and playwright Robert
Schenkkan’sThe Kentucky Cycleare among the
year’s Pulitzer Prize winners.
Popular culture:(Jan. 11) American singer Paul Si-
mon is the first major artist to tour South Africa
after the cultural boycott of the nation is lifted.
(Apr. 20) More than one billion people watch the
televised Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held
at Wembley Stadium, London, a tribute to the
rock singer who died of AIDS. The concert raises
millions of dollars for research about the disease.
(May 22) After thirty years, Johnny Carson makes
his last appearance as host ofThe Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson. Three days later, Carson is
replaced by new host Jay Leno. (Oct. 3) Singer
Sinéad O’Connor generates controversy when
she appears onSaturday Night Liveand, after sing-
ing a song protesting child abuse by the Catholic
Church, tears up a photograph of Pope John
Paul II.
Sports:Washington Redskins win Super Bowl XXVI,
defeating the Buffalo Bills by a score of 37-24.
(Feb. 8) The 1992 Winter Olympics open in
Albertville, France. (Jul. 25-Aug. 9) The 1992
Summer Olympics are held in Barcelona, Spain.
(Oct. 24) The Toronto Blue Jays are the first Ca-
nadian team to win the World Series, defeating
the Atlanta Braves in the sixth game.
Crime:(Feb. 17) Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sen-
tenced to life in prison. (Apr. 2) John Gotti, a New
York City Mafia boss, is convicted of racketeering
and the murder of mob boss Paul Castellano. On
June 23, he is sentenced to life in prison. (Apr. 29)
Jurors in Simi Valley, California, acquit four Los
Angeles police officers charged with excessive
force in the videotaped beating of African Ameri-
can motorist Rodney King. Their decision leads
to riots throughout Los Angeles, resulting in fifty-
three deaths and one billion dollars worth of
damage. (Jul. 10) After a trial in Miami, former
Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced
to forty years in prison for drug trafficking and
racketeering.
1030 Time Line The Nineties in America