In 1992, "End of the Road" topped the charts, Aladdin packed theaters, a stamp cost 29¢, the average home went for about $121,500.
🎵 Top songs of 1992
"End of the Road" — Boyz II Men
"Jump" — Kris Kross
"Save the Best for Last" — Vanessa Williams
🎬 In theaters
Aladdin
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Batman Returns
What things cost in 1992
$1.13
Gallon of gas
29¢
Postage stamp
$4.15
Movie ticket
$2.80
Gallon of milk
$121,500
Average home
$16,334
New car
$30,640
Household income
A $1.13 gallon of gas in 1992 has the buying power of roughly $2.55 in 2024 dollars. A 29¢ stamp is around 65¢ today, and a $4.15 movie ticket is about $9.30.
The biggest moments of 1992
The original Dream Team, starring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, dazzled the world at the Barcelona Olympics.
The Mall of America, the biggest shopping mall in the country, opened its doors in Minnesota complete with an indoor amusement park.
Bill Clinton won the presidential election in November, with the campaign famously focused on the economy.
Johnny Carson signed off The Tonight Show in May 1992 after nearly 30 years, with 50 million people watching the farewell.
Euro Disney (today's Disneyland Paris) opened in April, bringing Main Street U.S.A. to the French countryside.
Dr. Mae Jemison blasted off aboard the shuttle Endeavour in September, becoming the first Black woman in space.
Toys, TV & trends of 1992
Super Soaker water blasters turned every backyard into a summer battleground.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 launched on "Sonic 2sday" and Sega Genesis players raced through it all winter.
Barney & Friends debuted on PBS, and the big purple dinosaur's "I Love You" song was soon everywhere.
Mortal Kombat hit arcades in the fall of 1992, and its digitized fighters had crowds three-deep around every cabinet.
Nickelodeon Gak oozed onto store shelves, a gloriously gross slime that made rude noises and delighted kids everywhere.
Super Mario Kart launched on the Super Nintendo and invented the kart-racer, along with a million sibling rivalries over red shells.
The music scene
Grunge went from Seattle secret to national soundtrack in 1992, as Nirvana's Nevermind knocked Michael Jackson off the top of the album chart in January and Pearl Jam's Ten climbed alongside it. On the pop side, Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" set a new record by holding No. 1 for 13 straight weeks. And out in the honky-tonks, Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" set off a line-dancing craze that filled dance floors from coast to coast.
At the movies
At the March 1992 Oscars, The Silence of the Lambs became only the third film ever to sweep the "Big Five" awards: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven then revived the western that summer and would ride to Best Picture a year later. Down at Sundance, a first-timer named Quentin Tarantino premiered Reservoir Dogs, firing the starting gun on the decade's independent film explosion.
Cartoons kids loved
Batman: The Animated Series
X-Men
Goof Troop
In 1992, afternoon cartoons grew up. Batman: The Animated Series arrived with film-noir shadows, an orchestral score, and stories serious enough to win Emmys, proving a "kids' show" could be genuine art. Over on Fox Kids, X-Men brought comic-book-style continuing storylines to Saturday morning, and kids learned to never, ever miss an episode. The superhero cartoon was suddenly the coolest thing on TV.
The world in 1992
World population: about 5.5 billion
U.S. President: George H. W. Bush
The Summer Olympics in Barcelona featured the U.S. basketball Dream Team, often called the greatest team ever assembled.
Presidents Bush and Yeltsin met at Camp David in February 1992 and formally declared that the Cold War was over.
The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro brought together the largest gathering of world leaders in history to tackle the environment.
The Church of England voted in November to ordain women as priests after decades of debate.
1992 birthday questions
How old is someone born in 1992?
Someone born in 1992 turns 34 in 2026 (33 if their birthday has not come round yet).
What was the number one song in 1992?
"End of the Road" by Boyz II Men was among the biggest hits of 1992.
What movie came out in 1992?
Aladdin was one of the films packing theaters in 1992.
How much did gas cost in 1992?
A gallon of gas ran about $1.13 in 1992, and a postage stamp cost 29¢.
How much did a house cost in 1992?
The average home went for roughly $121,500 in 1992, against a typical household income of about $30,640.