Hillary Clinton in the White House

Hillary Rodham Clinton's eight years as first lady were packed with meetings, speeches, foreign travel, fundraising events and her own ambitious early effort to reform the nation's health-care system, her newly released public schedules show. She has said while campaigning for the presidency that those years gave her all the experience she needs for the job. A sampling of her schedules on some of the most consequential days of her husband's presidency contains little evidence that she was deeply involved in those events.

Aug. 6, 1993

The administration's deficit-reduction bill squeaks to final passage in the Senate by a single vote after heavy personal lobbying by President Bill Clinton.

Hillary Clinton attends multiple meetings on health care, including a session involving six Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee and an afternoon meeting in the Oval Office.

Oct. 3, 1993

Eighteen U.S. soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia are killed when militia forces down a Black Hawk helicopter.

Hillary Clinton and the president attend a ceremony at St. Matthew's Cathedral. The first lady's schedule the next day reflects routine meetings involving legislative efforts, scheduling and an arts event.

Aug. 26, 1994

President Clinton signs a covert "finding" that authorizes military intervention in Haiti.

On both the day of the invasion and the day before, the first lady's schedule lists no public events.

Aug. 30, 1995

NATO begins a bombing assault on Bosnian Serbs, 40 months into a war that is to take the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.