Clinton Impeached: Second President Faces Trial
The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, making him only the second U.S. president ever to face such proceedings. Although the Senate acquitted him by rejecting removal on both counts, the trial exposed deep partisan divides that prevented any Democrat from voting guilty while Republicans held a slim majority. This outcome cemented a precedent where political alignment ultimately dictated the fate of a presidency rather than the legal merits of the charges alone.
December 19, 1998
28 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on December 19
Caracalla couldn't share power. His brother Geta arrived at their mother's apartments believing the family peace talks were real — he'd left his guards outside.…
Licinius didn't abdicate. He surrendered. Constantine's army had crushed his forces at Chrysopolis — 25,000 of Licinius's men dead in a single afternoon. His w…
Byzantine forces dragged Pope Martin I from Rome to Constantinople, where imperial judges subjected the pontiff to a sham trial for opposing Monothelitism. The …
Henry Plantagenet was 21 years old and already controlled more of France than the French king did. His coronation made him ruler of an empire stretching from Sc…
Nineteen cardinals locked themselves in the Lateran Palace for three days. When they finally emerged on December 19, 1187, they'd chosen Paolo Scolari—a Roman n…
Anne of Brittany was 13. Her duchy was Europe's last independent region between France and the Empire, and everyone wanted it. So her advisors married her to Ma…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.