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Inauguration
On January 20th, 1993, after narrowly defeating incumbent Republican President George Herbert Walker Bush and independent candidate Henry Ross Perot in the popular vote and by a large margin in the Electoral College vote, William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was inaugurated into the presidency. His Vice President was Albert Arnold "Al" Gore Junior, who would run for president against George H.W. Bush's son, George Walker Bush, and lose. -
Family and Medical Leave Act is Signed
In 1993, Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as part of his agenda to help the working class, more specifically working women. Under the FMLA, workers could take up to 12 months of unpaid, but job-secure time off in a year for qualified family and medical reasons (pregnancy, child illness, etc.). The law was a success, covering up to 13 million workers by the year 2005. -
Clinton Appoints Janet Reno
In 1993, Bill Clinton appointed Janet Reno as Attorney General, replacing the staunch conservative William Barr. Not only was Reno the first female (of only two to present day) to hold the office, she had the longest tenure of office ever by an attorney general. Janet Reno had a successful tenure, too, bringing criminals such as the Unabomber and Oklahoma City bombers to justice. -
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Takes Office
After being appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States (or 'S.C.O.T.U.S.') by President Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg took the Oath of Office on August 10th, 1993. Ginsburg would become an icon for females of the U.S. by being a prominent advocate for feminism, as she has been on the Supreme Court ever since she took that Oath of Office over 20 years ago. -
NAFTA Takes Effect
On January 1st, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement, or 'NAFTA', came into effect after having already been signed by President Clinton. This created an agreement to have free and open trade between the countries of North America (the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada). This would revolutionize international trade between the three countries. -
Clinton and Lewinsky
According to Monica Lewinsky herself, she and President Bill Clinton started having sexual relations in November of 1995. According to her published schedule, in fact, First Lady Hillary Clinton was in the White House during some of these interactions. In April 1996, Lewinsky was relocated to the Pentagon because she was "spending too much time around Clinton". Later, Lewinsky would confide in White House assistant Linda Tripp about her relationship, and her relations lasted until March 1997. -
Madeleine Albright Is Sworn In
Bill Clinton made history in another one of his appointments, nominating former U.N. ambassador Madeleine Albright for Secretary of State in December 1996. She was approved 99-0 in a Senate vote, making her the first of several female Secretaries of State. She became the highest-ranking female in government in U.S. history. Albright was a advocate of using force in Bosnia and the Middle East. She transferred sovereignty to Hong Kong, and visited the elusive Kim Jong-Il during her tenure. -
The Clinton Scandal Breaks
News of the Lewinsky scandal first broke on January 17, 1998, exposed by the conservative Drudge Report. The scandal broke to mainstream media on January 21, and the Clinton administration quickly denied everything. However, the noise around the White House did not go away. The conspiracy got louder and louder, until January 26, when Bill Clinton held a press conference. At this conference, Bill denied all claims, uttering his famous words, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." -
Clinton Orders Air Attack on Iraq
For some time, the Republic of Iraq had been attempting to build weapons of mass destruction (or 'WMDs'). Having feared the use of these weapons by Saddam Hussein, the United Nations sent in weapons inspectors in 1997 in order to determine the threat that these weapons posed and prevent their use. However, Hussein refused to allow the inspectors access to the Iraqi weapons facility. In an failed attempt to intimidate Him into doing so, Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq on December 16, 1998. -
Clinton's Impeachment
Republican leaders impeached Clinton on the grounds that he committed perjury and obstructed justice by making speakers give false testimony in the Jones case. The vote was 55-45 in Clintons favor, causing him to remain president.
