1992

1992 was the 121st year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

Black & White newspaper debuted.
April: Esquire magazine published a cover story about "The Machine", a secretive political organization at the University of Alabama.
May 2: First Alabama Bank became Regions Bank
City Stages featured James Brown, Al Green, George Jones, and Richie Havens.
The Birmingham Festival of Arts' Salute to Spain.
Larry "Bud" Melman was grand marshall of the Do Dah Day parade.
EWTN launched WEWN, a 24-hour shortwave radio broadcast.
December 22: Compass Bank acquired FWNB Bancshares of Carrollton, Texas.
Books-A-Million went public.
CapitalSouth Bank was founded.
The 7th Congressional District of Alabama was redrawn.
The Hyatt House reopened as the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
The Weather Forecast Office Birmingham moved to the Shelby County Airport.
WJOX-AM was launched as a reformatting of oldies station WVOK-AM on AM 690.
LAH Real Estate was founded by Jim Lawrence, Keith Arendall and Maurice Humphries.
Michael's steak house closed.
United Way-Community Chest of Central Alabama became United Way of Central Alabama.
Rites of Spring organized its first annual dance party at Sloss Furnaces.
Rock bands Brother Cane and the Shame Idols were formed.
David Dyson and Johnny Johnson founded the Dyson Institute.
Cinema City 8 on Parkway East closed.
Green Springs 6 on Green Springs Highway closed.
Pete Flach bought Hamburger Heaven from Jack Caddell.
Jim Dearth founded Voices for Alabama's Children.

The Friends of Rickwood took over management of Rickwood Field.
The Birmingham Bulls returned to the ice as part of the East Coast Hockey League.
The Birmingham Fire compiled a 7-3-1 record, losing a first-round playoff game to the Orlando Thunder in the Citrus Bowl on May 30.
Bobby Allison was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Terry Bowden succeeded Pat Dye as head coach of the Auburn Tigers football team.
January 2: Pat Sullivan was hired as Texas Christian's head football coach.
The 1992 Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held at the BJCC Arena.
Carl Lewis and Charles Barkley won gold medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
August: George Archer won the inaugural Bruno's Memorial Classic at the Greystone Golf and Country Club.
October 31: Bo Jackson's jersey number 34 was retired during a halftime ceremony at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
November 4: Center Alan Ogg was waived by the Miami Heat.
November 26: Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Auburn Tigers 17-0 in the Iron Bowl at Legion Field.
December: Alabama State defeated Alabama A&M 14-11 in the Magic City Classic.

The Storyteller Fountain by Frank Fleming was installed at Five Points South.
The Grammy-winning album Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers At The Ryman was released.
The film Shaking the Tree, starring Courtney Cox, was released.
Christmas at the Alabama, featuring the Alabama Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer played by Richard Phillips was released on cassette.
The film Sleepwalkers, starring Glenn Shadix, was released.

Kelly Ingram Park was renovated and rededicated as "a place of revolution and reconciliation."
Brook Highland Cinema opened.
Crestwood Park was renovated with a new barbecue pavilion and parking lot layout.
February: the Hoover Public Library opened.
August: The new John Carroll Catholic High School campus on Lakeshore Parkway opened.
November 14: the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute opened.

Gone South, novel by Robert R. McCammon
The History of Forest Park by Catherine Greene Browne
The Diversity of Life by E. O. Wilson
Pilgrim in the Ruins: A Life of Walker Percy by Jay Tolson.
Of Power and Right : Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, and America's Constitutional Revolution. by Howard Ball
Joshua and Bigtooth by Mark Childress
Good Cats/Bad Cats, Good Dogs/Bad Dogs, and Wings of Fire by Charles Ghigna
B-Four by Sam Hodges

Scientist Larry DeLucas served on Space Shuttle Mission STS-50.
Earl Hilliard became the first African American to represent Alabama in the United States Congress since Reconstruction.
Howell Raines was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Mike Hathorne succeeded Jack Farr as principal of Homewood High School.
Freeman Hrabowski became president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Jim Atkinson succeeded Robert Waldrop as Mayor of Homewood.
William Bridgers retired from UAB.
Kim J. Chaney was elected to the Cullman County bench.
Artist John Rhoden was appointed head of the Art Commission of the City of New York.
Director John Badham married Olivia Laughlin.
Jan Willis was named the Walter A. Crowell Professorship of Social Sciences at the University of California-Santa Cruz.

April 17: Western swing bandleader Hank Penny died in Camarillo, California of a heart attack.
August 13: Driver Clifford Allison died in a single car crash at the Michigan International Speedway.
October 5: Singer Eddie Kendricks died of lung cancer in Birmingham.
November 7: Novelist Richard Yates died of complications from hernia surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center.