WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO MAY 1998
Find out what all happened January to May 1998

Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped. (13. May 1998)

Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report. (17. January 1998)

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits northern Afghanistan, killing up to 5,000. (30. May 1998)

Lewinsky scandal: a federal judge rules that United States Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the scandal, involving President Bill Clinton. (22. May 1998)

President Soeharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Tri Sakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule. (21. May 1998)

The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes. (23. May 1998)

Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. (26. January 1998)

Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice. (2. March 1998)

Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex. (4. March 1998)

During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners while condemning US attempts to isolate the country. (25. January 1998)

The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York. (26. May 1998)

An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurs near the town of Bovec. (12. April 1998)

Northern Ireland peace deal reached (Good Friday Agreement). (10. April 1998)

Jonesboro massacre: Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden, aged 11 and 13 respectively, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are killed and ten are wounded. (24. March 1998)

The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States. (27. March 1998)

Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for $40 billion USD and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history. (7. May 1998)

German terrorist group the Red Army Faction announces their dissolution after 28 years. (20. April 1998)

Four students are shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of Suharto (12. May 1998)

Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot. (27. May 1998)

India carries out two nuclear tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. (13. May 1998)