Four white policemen are acquitted of all serious charges in the videotaped beating of Los Angeles black motorist Rodney King. The jury verdict triggers widespread looting and violence, in which 52 people die and property damages reach $21 billion. Later, a U.S. grand jury indicts the policemen on federal charges.

Also that year:

• Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, Democrat, defeats incumbent President George Bush in a presidential race heavily influenced by the third-party candidacy of Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who nets 19 percent of the popular vote.

• Leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which will eliminate most trade restrictions.

• Johnny Carson retires as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show after nearly 30 years.

• The television shoe Murphy Brown becomes controversial when Vice President Dan Quayle says it undermines U.S. moral values by presenting its star as a single unwed mother.

• Hurricane Andrew devastates a 25-mile wide strip of southeast Florida, killing 18 and leaving 250,000 homeless. Damages are estimated above $10 billion.

• John Gotti, leader of an organized crime family, is convicted in Brooklyn, New York of racketeering, murder and other crimes.

• Dell Computer sets a trend with its 3.5-pound laptop, accelerating the use of these small computers.