Look Back To 1992: What Happened That Year

Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived.

Here's 1992 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1992

• Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You', from The Bodyguard, was Christmas number one and went on to be the best-selling single of 1992 and much of 1993.
• Shakespears Sister spent eight weeks at number one with 'Stay'.
• Right Said Fred, Snap! and Erasure had big chart years.
• Rave and hardcore were the dominant underground sound, and the Prodigy released 'Charly'.
• Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' had charted at the end of 1991 and defined 1992's guitar music entirely.

In the news in 1992

• John Major won the April general election, a result almost every poll had got wrong.
• Black Wednesday, 16 September, saw the pound crash out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
• Windsor Castle was badly damaged by fire in November, and the Queen described the year as an annus horribilis.
• The separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales was announced in December.
• The Maastricht Treaty was signed in February.
• The Betty Boothroyd election made her the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.

On screen in 1992

• Wayne's World, Basic Instinct and Reservoir Dogs were the films people talked about.
• Absolutely Fabulous began on BBC Two.
• Ghostwatch was broadcast on Halloween and caused a genuine national outcry.
• The Big Breakfast launched on Channel 4.
• The Super Nintendo launched in the UK, against the Mega Drive, and split every playground in the country.

In sport in 1992

• The Premier League was formed, beginning play in August 1992.
• Leeds United won the last First Division title before the rebrand.
• Denmark won Euro 92, having only been called up as a replacement for Yugoslavia days before the tournament.
• Britain won its first Olympic 100 metres gold since 1924 when Linford Christie won at Barcelona, aged thirty-two.
• Sally Gunnell and Chris Boardman also won gold in Barcelona.

Everyday life in 1992

• The recession was still on, and unemployment was high.
• The first commercial text message was sent in December, reading 'Merry Christmas'.
• Video shops were at their peak, with late fees as the business model.
• Ceefax, Teletext and the Radio Times were still how you found out what was on.
• Rave culture and the response to it dominated the news for much of the year.

If you were born in 1992

• Anyone born in 1992 arrived the same year the first text message was sent.
• They were born into the first Premier League season, which is a reasonable way to date a football-supporting relative.
• Anyone born in 1992 turns 30 in 2022, 40 in 2032, 50 in 2042, 60 in 2052 and 70 in 2062.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1990
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• 1990s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the Christmas number one in 1992?

'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston, from The Bodyguard. It went on to be one of the best-selling singles of the decade.

What was Black Wednesday?

16 September 1992, when sterling was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism despite enormous intervention. It reshaped British economic policy for years.

How old is someone born in 1992?

Subtract 1992 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2032, 50 in 2042, 60 in 2052 and 70 in 2062.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.