Milestones

Ten years ago: Vice President George Bush met with representatives of independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh to answer questions about the Iran-Contra affair. The Soviet Union announced it would participate in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

Five years ago: Former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot publicly returned to politics, recruiting Americans for a group to counter special interests that were preventing government reform and deficit reduction.

One year ago: President Clinton summoned top administration officials to a daylong planning session for his second term. An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 shook Mexico City and the southern part of Mexico, but no deaths were reported.