Bill Clinton

The couple were married in a low-key ceremony in 1975 with Hillary wearing a dress she'd picked up only the night before. Their daughter Chelsea was born on February 27, 1980, during her father's first term in office as the governor of Arkansas.

If you had to pick one word to describe the Clintons, it would undoubtedly be survivors. The Whitewater scandal, Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, health care reform, Monica Lewinsky, impeachment the Clintons' years in the White House were strewn with high-profile controversies. Despite this, however, the charismatic president left the White House at the end of his eight years in office in January 2001 with a sky-high approval rating.

After taking over the presidency in 1992 he got off to a rocky start with the question of gays in the military and the ill-fated Hillary-led health care initiative of 1993, but eventually hit his stride. And despite the fact that the US government had been fractured by the impeachment scandal, he worked tirelessly towards peace in the Middle East, making some very real achievements.

For her part, Hillary - who was born on October 26, 1947 - would redefine the role of First Lady. Concerned more with policy than pleasantry, she fought tirelessly for universal health care, education reform and human rights concerns. She also penned a best-selling book on child development entitled It Takes A Village, winning a Grammy for her recording of the book on tape.

Events which took place during her husband's term in office mean the name of America's 42rd president will be forever linked to former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, however. In 1998 and early 1999, Clinton denied allegations of an inappropriate affair with the intern, but eventually admitted to misconduct and an impeachment trial loomed something which had not occurred since President Andrew Johnson was in power in 1868.

Throughout the revelations the First Lady stood by her man, and later went on to turn the wave of sympathy generated into a successful bid for the Senate.

Having put the turbulent days of her husband's presidency behind her, Hillary focused upon her own political future. In 2000 she became senator for New York, and seven years later announced her decision to run as a candidate in the 2008 presidential elections. Considered her party's front-runner, should she win the election the former First Lady would mark two 'firsts' - in becoming the first woman to serve as president of the United States, and the first presidential spouse to do so.