It seems like Hilary Clinton has been in the political spotlight forever. She was the first lady, she was the senator of New York and she was the Secretary of State under President Obama.
She led an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2008, and now, in 2016, her chances of becoming the first female President of the United States have never looked better. Here are some things you might not know about this political frontrunner.
She Outdrank John McCain
This fact has only recently surfaced. John McCain has not outright confirmed it, but Hillary’s camp says that it happened. While on a congressional trip in Estonia, the pair decided to throw back shots of vodka.
Hillary beat the McCain with only 4 shots. Hillary’s camp seems proud of that, but McCain’s people will only admit that the pair did have drinks together.
One of Hillary's First Cases as a Lawyer Involved a Rat's Ass
After Hillary became a lawyer, one of her first cases that went to trial involved a man who had opened a can of beans and found a severed rat butt.
Hillary represented the canning company and won the case, but she never lived it down – Bill continuously called it her “rat’s ass” case.
Bill Clinton's Mother Did Not Think Hillary Was Pretty Enough for Bill
Bill’s mother apparently spoke very disparagingly of Hillary’s looks. Bill defended his choice, saying that he needed somebody to talk to.
However, Bill did have several extramarital affairs that nearly brought an end to his marriage with Hillary. After the affair with Lewinsky, Bill stated that he and Hillary lived together in the White House but lived very separate lives.
She's Won a Grammy
Hillary Clinton won a Grammy in 1997, but it was not for singing or rapping. She won for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio version of her book “It Takes a Village.”
She is not the only politician to have been given this honor; President Obama has also received a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for his book. In fact, several politicians have won for Best Spoken Word Album for their books.
The National Law Journal Named Hillary One of the Most Influential Lawyers in America
Hillary has a very successful career as a lawyer, and even earned more money than Bill Clinton when he served as Governor of Arkansas.
In 1988 and 1991, the National Law Journal ranked her as one of the top 100 most influential lawyers in the United States. Her successful law career was a boon to her husband’s political ambitions and helped propel them to the White House.
Hillary Has Not Driven a Car Since 1996
Hillary stated in 2012 that she no longer drives a car. She says that the last time she drove a car was in 1996, and that both she and the Secret Service remember it well.
The drive apparently went so badly that she has never driven again, to the relief of the Secret Service. However, there have been no details on just what happened.
Hillary Clinton Was a Republican
When Hillary was a young adult she was a Republican. She even worked to campaign for Barry Goldwater in 1964.
However, she started to realize that some of the policies pursued by the Republicans in terms of race and equality were unfair and moved toward more liberal beliefs. She changed to the Democratic Party in 1968. She then worked for George McGovern and Jimmy Carter.
Hillary Claimed to Have Been Rejected by the Marines
Hillary said that before she married Bill Clinton, she tried to join the Marines, but she was rejected because she was too old, had poor eyesight and was a woman. However, several marines have spoken against this, saying that they were desperate for lawyers at the time.
They were so desperate that gender, age and eyesight would not have prevented a recruiter from letting her join. While she was still First Lady, she ran for Senator of New York. She took the office on January 3rd, 2001, and she was still First Lady until January 21st, 2001.
She Is the Only First Lady to Run For and Win Public Office
Therefore, she is not only the first First Lady to run for public office (and win), she is also the only first lady to hold public office while being First Lady.
Hillary was a good student and always very outspoken. She appeared on the television quiz show College Bowl while she was attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Hillary Appeared on the TV Quiz Show College Bowl
Her appearance on the show and her success in college are surprising, considering she initially struggled and wanted to leave school, but her mother encouraged her to stay.
Hillary was one of 43 lawyers to take part in the inquiry to impeach Richard Nixon. Others on the team accused her of being a liar and acting unethically during the process.
She Was Part of the Inquiry To Impeach Richard Nixon
Her boss said that she often violated House rules during the inquiry, but he had no ability to fire her.
Hillary says that she went to Alaska after college and worked in a canning plant for a time.
She Worked at a Salmon Canning Plant in Alaska
She claims that she was fired and the operation disappeared after she raised complaints about the state of the salmon that she was canning.
There is no proof that she was fired for this reason, and many Alaskans state that the story does not make sense due to salmon regulations in the state.
She Carries Hot Sauce Everywhere
Hillary likes to put hot sauce and red pepper flakes on her food in order to make it spicy. She has even been known to put hot sauce on her salad.
She says that she always carries a small bottle of Tabasco and red pepper flakes in her purse so that she can have spicy food no matter where she goes.
Hillary Only Took the Name Clinton to Appease Arkansas Voters
When Bill and Hillary were first married, she chose to keep her maiden name of Rodham. This ended up being a move that turned off Arkansas voters, because they constantly suggested that it meant the marriage was on rocky ground or just for show.
So in order to ensure that Bill Clinton was able to win his election for governor of Arkansas, she took the name Clinton and began calling herself Hillary Rodham Clinton. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, the FBI fingerprinted both Bill and Hillary over concerns that the two had inappropriate access to FBI files.
Hillary is the Only First Lady to be Fingerprinted by the FBI
This was similar to what had been done during Richard Nixon’s time and therefore the FBI fingerprinted the Clintons to see if there was any proof they had handled the files in question. It was determined that they had not, yet two years later, some of the files were found in her home, with her fingerprints on them.
During her time as First Lady, she was given the code name Evergreen by the Secret Service. She maintains this code name through her own campaigns for President.
Her Secret Service Code Name Is Evergreen
During her 2008 presidential run, her code name was revived by the Secret Service, and it is believed that it is being used still today. Bill Clinton has also kept his code name of Eagle throughout his wife’s presidential runs.
Hillary Clinton has always insisted on maintaining her sense of self in her marriage. Hillary is a Methodist and Bill is a Southern Baptist.
Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton Attend Different Churches
Hillary Clinton was very well traveled during her 4-year term as Secretary of State. She visited 112 countries, flew 1 million miles and spent 25% of her time traveling.
Throughout their marriage, they have maintained their separate faiths, with neither one feeling the need to switch to that of the other. This continues to this day.
Hillary Clinton Is the Most Traveled Secretary of State in U.S. History
The job was very taxing on Hillary, and she said that the first order of business after leaving the State Department was to sleep in.
She obviously did not rest for long, as her presidential run began not long after.
Hillary Clinton was the First and Only First Lady to be Subpoenaed by the FBI
During Bill Clinton’s presidency, the couple was accused of being involved in the Whitewater Development scandal.
They invested in the company without knowing that the company was continuing to sell vacation homes and properties that they had no ability to deliver on. While the Clintons were subpoenaed and investigated in regard to the project, they were found innocent of any wrongdoing.
She's Been Accused of Having Lesbian Affairs
There have been several rumors about Hillary being a lesbian due to her masculine attire and firm manner.
However, few have gone as far as Edward Klein, who claims that his book “The Truth About Hillary” has evidence that Hillary engaged in a lesbian affair with her aide Huma Abedin and other lesbian relationships.
Hillary Sat on the Board at Wal-Mart
From 1986 until 1992, she served on the board for Wal-Mart. She earned $18,000 a year and $1,500 for every meeting she attended.
Some of those who served with her say she used the position to advance women’s issues. Others say that she did nothing to help labor unions and worked only to serve the interest of Wal-Mart and not the interest of the workers.
She Was a Fangirl Over Fabian
Fabian was a singer and actor.
He first started to get recognized when he made several appearances on American Bandstand.
She Called Bill Clinton's Affair With Monica Lewinsky a "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
In 1998, when she was on The Today Show with Matt Lauer, she responded to questions about rumors of Bill’s affair by saying it was a “vast right-wing conspiracy.”
The phrase has since been popularized and used frequently in both a joking manner in popular culture and a serious manner by politicians. Hillary’s belief in a vast right-wing conspiracy was proven to be largely false, as the affair was much more than just rumor.
She Held Conversations With Eleanor Roosevelt--After She Had Died
Hillary was known to have frequent conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt while she lived in the White House.
This was 30 years after the former first lady had passed, but Hillary was so convinced that she had really spoken to Eleanor Roosevelt that she reminded Bill Clinton to tell the Roosevelt family during a dedication to Franklin Roosevelt. Bill honored her wishes and video of the speech can still be found online.