Bill Clinton

Today in History 12/19 (Sino-British Joint Declaration)

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang in Beijing during the signing ceremony agreement over the Hong Kong handover (© Pierre-Antoine Donnet/AFP/Getty Images))(1984) Britain agrees to give Hong Kong back to China
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang sign an agreement that will end 155 years of British rule over Hong Kong. The agreement stipulates that the island will remain a capitalist economy and residents will enjoy existing freedoms for 50 years.
The Sino–British Joint Declaration is an international bilateral treaty signed between the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration stipulates the sovereign and administrative arrangement over Hong Kong after 1 July 1997, when the lease of the New Territories was set to expire according to the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory.
Sino–British Joint Declaration (中英联合声明)
Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong (中华人民共和国政府和大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国政府关于香港问题的联合声明)

Hong Kong Skyline
Hong Kong Skyline
wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration
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(1984) Britain agrees to give Hong Kong back to China.
Also on this day,

1777 | Troops go to Valley Forge as General George Washington leads
The Continental Army commander takes his 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to rest for the winter. However, the beleaguered troops will not get the recuperation they need. Basic supplies, such as food and clothing, will run low. Starvation and exposure will kill about 2,500 soldiers.
1843 | ‘A Christmas Carol’ is published in Britain
The novella by British writer Charles Dickens tells the story of miser Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation to a kinder soul following visits from the ghost of his old business partner and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story is an immediate success, and will remain one of Dickens’ most beloved works.
1998 | US President Bill Clinton is impeached
The House of Representatives votes to remove President Clinton from office over charges relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton is just the second US president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson in 1868. The Senate, however, will vote to acquit Clinton, and he will finish out his second term in office.

Today in History 12/19/17

President Clinton addresses Democratic lawmakers after the House of Representatives voted to impeach him, December 19, 1998 (© Doug Mills/AP)(1998) US President Bill Clinton is impeached
The House of Representatives votes to remove President Clinton from office over charges relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton is just the second US president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson in 1868. The Senate, however, will vote to acquit Clinton, and he will finish out his second term in office.
The impeachment process of Bill Clinton was initiated by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, against Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, on two charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Clinton by Paula Jones. Clinton was subsequently acquitted of these charges by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Two other impeachment articles – a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse of power – failed in the House.
Start date: Dec 19, 1998
End date: Feb 12, 1999

Congressional Record
Congressional Record from February 12, 1999, showing the end of Clinton's impeachment trial

wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton
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Today in History 12/08 (World War II)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the declaration of war at the White House in Washington, DC, December 8, 1941 (© AP)(1941) US declares war on Japan a day after Pearl Harbor attack
In one of the most stirring speeches of his presidency, Franklin Roosevelt asks Congress to declare war and calls the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, “a date which will live in infamy.” The House soon approves the war declaration, while Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, will then declare war on the US, bringing the US into WWII.
On December 8, 1941, the United States Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to that country’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. It was formulated an hour after the Infamy Speech of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Japan had sent a message to the United States to its embassy in Washington earlier, but because of problems at the embassy in decoding the very long message – the high-security level assigned to the declaration meant that only personnel with very high clearances could decode it, which slowed down the process – it was not delivered to the U.S. Secretary of State until after the Pearl Harbor attack. Following the U.S. declaration, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States, bringing the United States fully into World War II.
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the declaration of war against Japan, in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor
President Roosevelt, wearing a black armband, signs the Declaration of War on Japan on December 8, 1941
wiki/United_States_declaration_of_war_on_Japan
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(1941) US declares war on Japan a day after Pearl Harbor attack.
Also on this day,

1980 | John Lennon is murdered by crazed fan in New York City
Ex-Beatle John Lennon, 40, is shot four times at close range by Mark David Chapman as the singer walks to his apartment with his wife, Yoko Ono. Hundreds of fans will keep vigil for a week at the scene of the shooting, and on what would have been Lennon’s 45th birthday, Ono will dedicate a memorial in the park.
1991 | Bergalis who contracted AIDS from her dentist dies at 23
Kimberly Bergalis is one of six patients who likely contracted AIDS from a Florida dentist and represents the first known case of a person contracting the disease from a health care worker. During her battle with the disease, Bergalis called for mandatory AIDS testing of health care workers, prompting intense public debate.
1993 | President Clinton signs NAFTA into law
The North America Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico eliminates tariffs and other barriers to trade among these “most favored nations.” NAFTA will be blamed by some Americans for losing US jobs to Mexico, but will be wildly successful in reducing costs on goods.

Today in History 12/08/17

President Clinton discusses the North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ) November 15, 1993, at the Museum of American History in Washington, DC (© Win McNamee/Reuters)(1993) President Clinton signs NAFTA into law
The North America Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico eliminates tariffs and other barriers to trade among these "most favored nations." NAFTA will be blamed by some Americans for losing US jobs to Mexico, but will be wildly successful in reducing costs on goods.
The North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
Founded: Jan 01, 1994
Founder: George H. W. Bush

NAFTA Initialing Ceremony
Back row, left to right: Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, at the initialing of the draft North American Free Trade Agreement in October 1992. In front are Mexican Secretary of Commerce and Industrial Development Jaime Serra Puche, United States Trade Representative Carla Hills, and Canadian Minister of International Trade Michael Wilson.
wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement
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