Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern, files a sworn affidavit in federal court denying she had a sexual relationship with the president. She allegedly asks her friend Linda Tripp to lie as well. (7 Jan)

Linda Tripp wears a hidden microphone for the FBI and records conversations with Ms Lewinsky. (13 Jan)

Prosecutors ask Ms Lewinsky to co-operate in their investigation. She refuses.(16 Jan)

The Lewinsky scandal spreads across the Internet after maverick reporter Matt Drudge reports that a Newsweek article detailing an alleged affair had been spiked.(18 Jan)
Scandalous scoops break online

The first reports of the existence of secretly recorded conversations between Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp about the affair emerge in the Washington Post. (21 Jan)
Tape transcripts pose as many questions as answers

In a White House news conference, the president denies having an affair with Ms Lewinsky. (26 Jan)
Clinton angry at new sex claims

President Clinton vigorously denies a liaison with Ms Lewinsky and subsequent cover-up.
'These allegations are false,' says Clinton

First Lady Hillary Clinton gives an interview on national television defending her husband. She calls the allegations a "vast right-wing conspiracy". (27 Jan)
Hillary Clinton defends her husband

New polls reveal that President Clinton's approval rating reach an all-time high. (29 Jan)
Clinton bounces back

Former White House worker Kathleen Willey goes on television to accuse Bill Clinton of sexually fondling her in the Oval Office. (15 March)

Judge Susan Webber Wright dismisses Paula Jones's sexual harassment lawsuit against the president. (2 April)
Clinton harassment suit dismissed on lack of evidence

Two of President Clinton's top aides are required to testify after a federal judge dismisses claims of executive privilege. (4 May)
Clinton aides to testify

Monica Lewinsky replaces her lawyer William Ginsburg with two prominent Washington lawyers, Jacob Stein and Plato Cacheris. The move follows a reported breakdown in relations between Mr Ginsburg and Kenneth Starr. (2 June)
New lawyers for Lewinsky

The US Supreme Court refuses to intervene in Secret Service testimony, so guards testify. Prosecutors issue a historic subpoena ordering Clinton to testify in the investigation. (17 July)
Clinton's bodyguards forced to talk

Kenneth Starr reaches a deal with Ms Lewinsky giving her immunity in exchange for full and truthful testimony. She is reported to have told prosecutors that she did in fact have sex with the president. (28 July)
Lewinsky gets immunity deal

Monica Lewinsky testifies for six hours. Her spokeswoman says she answered questions "truthfully, completely and honestly". (6 Aug)
Lewinsky ends day of testimony

President Clinton told a grand jury and then the nation that he had a relationship with Monica Lewinsky that was "not appropriate". (17 Aug)
Clinton confesses

Reacting to remarks from Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman, President Clinton apologises for his affair with Monica Lewinsky for the first time. (4 Sept)
Clinton: 'I'm sorry'

Kenneth Starr sends 36 boxes of evidence on the Lewinsky scandal to the Congress, as President Clinton apologises for a second time, this time on national television. (9 Sept)
Clinton contrite as Congress gets report

President Clinton braces himself for the highly critical report on his relationship with the former White House worker Monica Lewinsky to be made public. (10 Sept)
Clinton report set to go online

Starr report published on the Internet. The 445-page document lists 11 grounds for impeachment and 10 sexual encounters between the president and Monica Lewinsky. (11 Sept)
Starr report damns Clinton
Key details summarised
Seeing Starr on the Net
Starr report: Not in front of the children

As the battle heats up, President Clinton's lawyers issue a scathing line-by-line rebuttal, dismissing the Starr report as a "hit and run smear campaign". (12 Sept)
President rejects Starr's 'smear campaign'

Salon magazine publishes a story about Chariman of the House Judiciary Henry Hyde's extramarital affair 30 years ago. Mr Hyde admits the affair but calls it an "attempt to intimidate him. (17 Sept)
The Republican and the Beautician

Voting on sharply partisan lines, the House Judiciary Committee votes to release a four-hour video tape of Mr Clinton's Grand Jury testimony. (18 Sept)
Clinton video to be published
Video sparks another media field day

America and the world are glued to the television as major television networks broadcast four hours and three minutes of video testimony. (21 Sept)
Clinton cool under questioning
No sweat? Read the body language
When sex isn't sex

First reports show that the American public still supports Mr Clinton despite the release of his Grand Jury testimony. (22 Sept)
Clinton not hurt by tapes
No time limit for Clinton probe

The president vows not to resign and tells the Washington Post "every American has been broken by something in life". (28 Sept)
Clinton "not wallowing in regret"

Thousands of pages of new evidence about the president's affair with Monica Lewinsky are released, but there are no major new revelations. (2 Oct)
Lewinsky feared for her life

Democrats want the presidential impeachment inquiry to be limited in scope and length - a call rejected by Republicans. (2 Oct)
Democrats demand impeachment deadline

Henry Hyde announces that the impeachment inquiry will be given a tighter focus in order for its investigation to be completed by the self-imposed year-end deadline. (15 Oct)
Clinton inquiry streamlined

In a surprise victory, Democrats gain seats in the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections. Both parties say the result was due - at least in part - to the Republicans' focus on the scandal. (3 Nov)
Surprise gains for Democrats
BBC News Online special mid-term election coverage

Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich resigns after taking much of the blame for the party's unexpectedly lacklustre performance in the elections. (7 Nov)
Gingrich quits

President Clinton pays $850,000 to Paula Jones in an out-of-court settlement of her sexual harassment case. (14 Nov)
Clinton settles Jones sex case

Congress releases the secret recordings of Monica Lewinsky telling all to Linda Tripp. (17 Nov)
Monica's tell-tale tapes

Kenneth Starr goes before Congressmen and women in a marathon defence of his report. (19 Nov)
Starr puts his case

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee proposes four articles of impeachment against President Clinton. (9 Dec)
Impeachment charges set out

Democrats and Republicans clash bitterly in an historic debate on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. (18 Dec)
Bitter debate on Clinton's fate

In a historic vote, Mr Clinton becomes the first (19 Dec)
Clinton impeached.

Clinton rules out resignation (20 Dec)
Clinton: I will not resign.

Impeachment trial gets under way with disagreement on how to proceed beyond the formal opening
(7 Jan)
Sombre start to Clinton trial
Senate split over trial

House of Representatives prosecutors open their case against President Clinton, charging he repeatedly put himself above the law and betrayed his oath of office in trying to hide his affair with Monica Lewinsky. (14 Jan)
Clinton must be 'accountable'
Prosecutors: Clinton must be 'accountable'
Prosecutors lay into Clinton
Republicans: 'Do the right thing'

Defence presents opening arguments. They accuse prosecutors of a "witches brew" of unfounded allegations. (19 Jan)
Clinton team makes heartfelt plea
Clinton defence attacks charges as vague
White House wraps up Clinton defence

Senators question both sides. (22 Jan)
Key senators call to end trial
Excerpts: Senators' questions

Prosecutors and defence lawyers make motions to present witnesses or hear evidence and dismiss the case. (25 Jan)
Senate debates dismissal
Witness list cut to three
Senate votes to hear witnesses

Senators debate and vote on motions. (29 Jan)
Senate's partisan pomp
Republicans force through trial plan

Witnesses are deposed and videotaped testimony is taken. Both sides make closing arguments by each side. (2 Feb)
Lewinsky questioned again
Hyde to seek live testimony
Monica off the hook

After three days of deliberation, senators vote to acquit President Clinton of the impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. (12 Feb)
Clinton in the clear