Events from the year 1892 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
President: Benjamin Harrison (R-Indiana) Vice President: Levi P. Morton (R-New York) Chief Justice: Melville Fuller (Illinois) Speaker of the House of Representatives: Charles Frederick Crisp (D-Georgia) Congress: 52nd
Events
January–March
January 1 – Ellis Island begins receiving immigrants to the United States. January 15 – James Naismith's rules for basketball are published for the first time in the Springfield YMCA International Training School's newspaper, in an article titled "A New Game". January 20 – At the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, the first official basketball game is played. February 1 – The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill is established in Rico, Colorado. February 12 – Former President Abraham Lincoln's birthday is declared a national public holiday in the United States. February 18 – Pennsauken Township, New Jersey is incorporated. February 23 – The 7.1–7.2 Laguna Salada earthquake shakes Southern California and northern Mexico with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). March 15 – Jesse W. Reno patents the first working escalator, used at Old Iron Pier, Coney Island , New York City.
April–June
April – The Johnson County War breaks out between small farmers and large ranchers in Wyoming. April 15 – The General Electric Company is established through merger of the Thomson-Houston Company and the Edison General Electric Company. April 19 – The 6.4 MLa Vacaville–Winters earthquake shakes the North Bay are of California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). This first event in a doublet earthquake results in one death and is followed two days later by a 6.2 MLa shock. Total damage from the events is $225,000–250,000. April 28 – Redondo Beach, California, is founded. April 30 – Lynching of Ephraim Grizzard, an African American, in Nashville, Tennessee. May 10 – Glen Ellyn, Illinois is incorporated. May 11 – The 18th Kentucky Derby is run in Louisville, Kentucky; Azra finishes first, Huron second and Phil Dwyer third in a race with only three horses. May 28 – The Sierra Club is organized by John Muir in San Francisco, California. June 6 – The Chicago "L" elevated railway opens. June 7 – Homer Plessy, who is one-eighth African heritage with light skin, is arrested for sitting (deliberately) on the whites-only car in Louisiana, leading to the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson court case. June 30 – The Homestead Strike begins in Homestead, Pennsylvania, culminating in a battle between striking workers and private security agents on July 6.
July–September
July 4 – Samoa changes its time zone to being 3 hours behind California, such that it crosses the international date line and July 4 occurs twice. July 6 – Homestead Strike: The arrival of a force of 300 Pinkerton detectives from New York City and Chicago results in a fight in which about 10 men are killed. August 4 The father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden are found violently murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home; she will be acquitted of their murder. Franklin Park, Illinois is incorporated as a village. August 9 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph. August 13 – The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, the country's longest-running African American family owned newspaper business, publishes its first issue (publisher, John H. Murphy, Sr.).
October–December
October 5 – The Dalton Gang, attempting to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, is shot by the townspeople; only Emmett Dalton, with 23 wounds, survives to spend 14 years in prison. October 12 – To mark the 400th anniversary Columbus Day holiday, the "Pledge of Allegiance" is first recited in unison by students in U.S. public schools. October 24 – Boston Beaneaters win their Fifth National League Pennant by defeating Cleveland Spiders 5 games to 0. November 8 1892 U.S. presidential election: Grover Cleveland is elected over Benjamin Harrison and James B. Weaver to win the second of his non-consecutive terms. The four-day New Orleans General Strike begins. November 12 – Pudge Heffelfinger is paid $525 by the Allegheny Athletic Association, becoming the first professional American football player on record. December 17 – Vogue magazine launched.