Former FBI Director James Comey’s congressional hearing on Thursday is one of the most anticipated Washington events of the year so far. If you’re in doubt, just check out CNN’s countdown clock to the hearing, which started with more than 40 hours to go, or the bars that are opening early in Washington, D.C., for those who prefer shots with their testimonies.



It’s also part of a long history of high-drama congressional hearings—from Teapot Dome to the Church Committee to Watergate—that have frozen the daily events of Washington. Here, we took a look back at some of the most consequential ones.



Above, Anita Hill testifies at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearing in 1991; Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden sits across from her. When Thomas’ confirmation moved to the Senate, his hearing was rocked by sexual harassment allegations brought forward by Hill, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma who had worked for Thomas at the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Thomas was ultimately confirmed, 52-48, but Hill’s testimony had an impact nonetheless. Sexual harassment claims more than doubled, to more than 15,000, in the five years that followed.

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