24 Things We Forgot Hillary Clinton Did

As election season heats up, we can't help but look back at some of the major players who have been prominent parts of American political theater. 

Hillary Clinton is known for much more than being the First Lady of the U.S. to former President Bill Clinton. She’s also a politician and diplomat, the former secretary of state, and a two-term U.S. Senator with a passion for social justice and activism.

Despite being a notable figure, most people know little about her beyond her highly publicized and criticized political career. We dug deep into Hillary Clinton's past for facts that help paint a picture that shows she's more than just a former First Lady.

She Met Bill Clinton at Yale

Hillary and Bill Clinton first met in 1971 while studying at Yale Law School. It was here that their relationship first sparked. According to the Clinton House Museum, Hillary immediately caught Bill's eye, who couldn't help staring at her. She took the initiative and walked over to him to introduce herself.

In his 2016 democratic convention speech, Bill gushed about his wife and how her strength drew him to her. He said, “She exuded this sense of strength and self-possession that I found magnetic. After the class, I followed her out, intending to introduce myself. I got close enough to touch her back, but I couldn't do it. Somehow, I knew this would not be just another tap on the shoulder.” 

It’s Been Over 20 Years Since She’s Driven

Hillary is not afraid to admit that she’s not the best driver. While speaking to the National Automobile Dealers Association in New Orleans, she revealed the last time she drove a car was in 1996. She said,  “I remember it very well. Unfortunately, so does the Secret Service, which is why I haven't driven since then.”

Some members of politics criticized Hillary for being out of touch and unrelatable. She did confess that she regretted not being able to drive anymore. The Secret Service responsible for protecting Hillary also drove her from point to point while her husband was in office. It's easy to get a little spoiled by not having to drive, and, admittedly, we understand why she never returned to behind the wheel.

She Was a Republican First

You might be surprised to learn that Hillary wasn't always a Democrat and that she grew up with opposing beliefs to her current political agenda. Before becoming a Democrat, Hillary grew up following in her Republica father’s footsteps.  While her mother was a Democrat, Hillary said she supported Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who ran for president in 1964 on the Republican ballot.

Hillary revealed that when she researched President Lyndon B. Johnson for a mock debate in 1964, her views shifted further left. She began aligning with the Democratic party in 1968 and supported Senator Eugene McCarthy's presidential bid.

Hillary’s a Fan of Mystery Novels

When she isn’t working in politics and on social justice issues, Hillary enjoys unwinding with a good read. During the American Library Association conference, she shared that after a busy few years of campaign stops and briefing papers, she enjoys nothing more than a glass of wine and a good mystery novel.

Hillary also revealed some of her favorite books that she's enjoyed over the years. She said she's finished all four of Ellena Ferrante's novels, which center around life in post-war Italy and the journey of two friends who grew up and navigated life during that time together. She's also a huge fan of Louise Penny, an author of gripping mystery thriller novels.

She’s Traveled to Over 100 Countries

As the former secretary of state, Hillary has traveled to over 100 countries while carrying out the President’s foreign policies. She’s visited 112 countries, making her one of the most traveled secretaries of state.s

According to The Atlantic, during her four years as Secretary of State, Hillary traveled 956,733 miles, which is enough to go around the globe 38 times. Before she claimed the title of the most traveled secretary of state, Madeline Albright held the title after visiting 98 countries from 1997 to 2001. Some of the countries Hillary traveled to include Latvia, South Africa, Finland, and Papua New Guinea.

She’s a Loyal Chicago Cubs Fan

Despite their numerous losses, Hillary considers herself a “long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan” and sticks by the team. As a child, she learned to play hardball and bonded with her father over the Cubs and their love of the sport. While the Chicago Cubs are one of the world's oldest sports teams and have thousands of loyal die-hard fans, they also have a longstanding reputation for losing.

When speaking to the Kabul embassy staff, she recalled a game she watched with Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador of Afghanistan. She stated, “He and I sat through yet another loss at Wrigley Field, along with General Allen. We tried to put a good face on it. But I think if you are masochistic enough to be a Cubs fan, you are drawn to assignments like this and what I do every day.” 

She Puts Hot Sauce on Everything

Rumor has it that Hillary Clinton loves to put hot sauce on nearly everything she eats. During a radio interview, she revealed that she carries hot sauce wherever she goes. According to Times Magazine, Hillary uses Ninja Squirrel hot sauce, a Sriracha from Whole Foods.

Her campaign spokesperson, Nick Merrill, revealed that, along with hot sauce, his team carries chili flakes and jalapeños for Hillary. While some believed Hillary was trying to relate to a more diverse group of voters, she has long shared her love of spicy food. In a 2008 interview with 60 Minutes, she revealed that one of her secrets to staying healthy is eating a lot of hot peppers, which she swears by.

She Once Tried To Be a Marine

There’s no question that Hillary is one tough woman, with her dedication to her values and strong beliefs that she's not afraid to express. When speaking on Capitol Hill to a group of military women, she shared she once asked a Marine recruiter about joining the Marines.

Hillary was curious about her options to serve and said the conversation was not very encouraging. It was quite the opposite. After quickly glancing at her, the recruiter was less than receptive and claimed she was too old, had poor vision, and was a woman. The demoralizing rejection set her on a path to finding another way to serve her country.

She Won a Grammy

You might be surprised to learn that Hillary Clinton was nominated for and won a Grammy. She won the award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1996 for her book It Takes A Village. In the book, Hillary explores how the village, representing our society, has changed drastically over the past few years and continues to change.

While she touches on how society needs to improve, from security to national debt and the environment, she also offers encouraging words. Hillary speaks out about how our choices matter and how our decisions, from raising children to our family dynamics, will affect how the nation moves forward and progresses in the future.

She Has a Special Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Did you know Hillary has a unique chocolate chip cookie recipe that anyone can make at home? The published recipe takes 15 minutes to prepare and just 8 minutes to bake, so you can bake a batch in less than 25 minutes when you need a new sweet treat.

The recipe is quite simple and requires rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, a package of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a few other baking ingredients. Even if you're a novice baker, you can bake these delicious cookies inspired by the former secretary of state.

She Was Involved in President Richard Nixon’s Impeachment

While working for John Doar, the special counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Hillary took part in President Richard Nixon’s impeachment inquiry. Hillary helped the committee find facts for the impeachment investigation. 

In an interview with Timothy Naftali, Hillary discussed that influential and historic time in her life and praised John Doar's handling of the situation. She said, “I think that it’s such a serious undertaking. Do not pursue it for trivial partisan political purposes. If it does fall to you while you’re in the House to examine abuses of power by the president, be as circumspect and careful as John Doar was.” 

She Had a Job Sliming Salmon in Alaska

Many political figures have other jobs before they enter the world of politics, and you may be surprised to hear about the job Hillary Clinton held growing up. Before delving into politics and becoming an accomplished First Lady and the noteworthy woman she is today, Hillary had a job slimming salmon in Alaska.

According to a 1992 New York Times article, her job consisted of spooning clean the insides of the fish, which was far from glamorous. In an interview with theSkimm, Hillary shared, “One of the best jobs I had to prepare me to be president was sliming fish in Alaska.” Although she speaks somewhat fondly of the job, according to the Times, Hillary was fired within a week because she asked too many questions.

She Stays in Touch With People From Her Past

Despite being a busy woman, Hillary makes it a point to uphold her relationships and stay in touch with people from her past. She told US Weekly, “I stay in touch with many people from all parts of my life and see them as often as I can.” 

In the interview, Hillary shared how recently, while traveling in Chicago, she visited with Betsy Ebeling, her best friend when she was growing up. It's clear that despite her overwhelmingly packed schedule and busy life in politics, she stays loyal to friends from her past and maintains those relationships that are important to her.

She Met Martin Luther King Jr. When She Was 14

When she was just 14 years old, Hillary met Martin Luther King Jr. A youth minister at her church took her and others to see him, and she recalled the unforgettable moment she got to shake his hand. She remembers vividly how he didn't ask her any questions, like where she was from or what her experience was. Instead, he shook her hand without judgment.

Speaking at the Mason Temple, Clinton had nothing but praise for Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “Because of him, after 219 years and 43 presidents who were all white men, the next generation will take for granted that a woman or an African American can be President of the United States of America.” 

Bill Proposed to Her Twice Before She Said Yes

There's no question that Hillary is a strong, passionate woman who is extremely independent in her day-to-day life. During a conversation with Lena Dunham, Clinton revealed that she was so afraid of losing her identity in a marriage that she turned Bill Clinton’s proposal down twice.

She shared how Bill's “force-of-nature personality” frightened her, as she was concerned she might get lost in his bigger-than-life persona. She first turned him down during a trip to England after graduating from law school and then a second time just a year later. After the second rejection, Bill knew he would wait until Hillary was truly ready to commit. The two finally married in 1975 at a small, intimate ceremony in their living room.

She Volunteered During Her Time at Law School

Ever since she was young, Hillary has worked to support the causes she believes in. An excerpt from her biography states that she volunteered at Yale’s Child Study Center and New Haven Hospital during her second year in law school.

She learned about early childhood brain development at the study center and provided free legal services to people experiencing poverty regarding cases of child abuse. Before volunteering during law school, Clinton also helped out with her church youth group to care for young children.

She Dreamed of Being an Astronaut

Ever since she was a young girl, Hillary had many aspirations, including becoming an astronaut for NASA. She wrote to NASA asking how she could become an astronaut, but unfortunately, NASA wrote back stating that they did not accept women at the time.

Clinton wrote the letter around 1960 when women were not allowed into NASA's astronaut program. It wasn't until 1978 that NASA announced that it would include women in the class of astronauts for the first time. While that may have crushed her dreams of traveling to space, it certainly didn’t put out her ambitious spirit.

Hillary First Ran for President in 1965

In 1964, Hillary served as junior class vice president in high school, which may have inspired her to continue her quest for leadership. Before her iconic run for President of the United States, Hillary ran for president of student governor at her school in Chicago. At the time, one of her opponents blatantly told her she was stupid for thinking that a girl could win and be elected president.

The demeaning comment didn't stop Clinton from pursuing her ambitions and running for student governor.  Although she lost, it prepared her for her noteworthy future in politics and similar criticism and commentary from those who doubted her career. 

She Enjoys a Good Snack

Like anyone, Hillary enjoys having a good snack now and then. One of her all-time favorite snacks is chocolate, and her guilty pleasure snack is Goldfish. In her book, What Happened, Clinton shares what it was like being on the campaign and the role food played during her time traveling. 

In the book, she wrote, “It's funny how much you look forward to the next meal when you're living out of a suitcase.” Along with a good snack, some of Clinton's favorite meals included chicken tenders with almond flour, salmon salad, brownies made from chickpea flour, and poblano pepper soup.

Hillary Was the First To Have Her Own Office in the West Wing

During her husband’s presidency, she was the first First Lady to have an office in the West Wing of the White House. Clinton's press secretary, Lisa Caputo, shared that Hillary's office was on the west side of the White House because it's “what the president wants.” 

She also received the usual office First Ladies were given in the East Wing. Many believed that this groundbreaking move indicated that Clinton would greatly influence her husband's role in the office and administration.

She’s a Beatles Fan

While she was a student at Wellesley College, she became a massive fan of The Beatles. In an interview with Fox News, she shared that she was riddled with angst during those years and found comfort and a relatable message in The Beatles’ music. Hillary claimed that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were geniuses and that she always enjoyed their music, feeling grateful for being able to grow up during that time.

In the interview, while speaking about the iconic band, Clinton said, “Well, like so many Beatles fans, it depends both on mood and stage of life. I have to confess … that the hand-clapping mode was what I first was captured by. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was an anthem, as you might imagine.” Her favorite Beatles song was “Hey Jude.”

Hillary Has Been Featured on the Cover of Time Magazine 19 Times

During her time in the limelight, various magazines and tabloids didn’t hesitate to plaster Hillary on their covers. Time Magazine has featured Hillary on the cover of their eventful publication an impressive 19 times.

Hillary shot her first cover for an issue in 1992, titled “The Hillary Factor: Is she helping or hurting her husband?” For the November 7, 2011 issue, Hillary graced the cover after multiple other covers, which had quite a different tone to it. Clinton was photographed seated at a desk, signing papers, and the cover read “Hillary Clinton & The Rise of Smart Power.” 

She Was Named on the List of Influential Lawyers in America

Hillary Clinton is a woman of noteworthy achievements not just in the political realm. In 1988 and 1991, Hillary was named one of the National Law Journal’s 100 most influential lawyers in America. Her supporters see her as a highly regarded attorney and public servant who inspires many women. Since beginning her law career, Clinton has taken steps to fight for those whose voices are not heard.

After graduating from law school, Hillary worked for the Children's Defense Fund, where she collected testimonies from people in Massachusetts regarding the lack of schooling children with disabilities received. These testimonies played a significant role in passing legislation that required the state to provide students with disabilities with better quality education.

She also received recognition during her role as First Lady of Arkansas.

People’s Personal Stories Are What Drive Her

The stories of others have always inspired Hillary. She has a longstanding history of fighting for children in need and people who need help getting their voices heard. From volunteering with children and families in poverty from a young age to fighting for the education of children with disabilities, she has remained loyal to her causes and people in need.

During an interview, Clinton told US Weekly that those stories, whether heartbreaking or inspiring, have taught her many valuable lessons. She is eager to know what people are dealing with in their everyday lives and finds it an essential part of campaigning.