Ben Bernanke’s 8-Year Fed Odyssey

Ben Bernanke’s 8-Year Fed Odyssey

The Fiscal Cliff

Testifying before Congress in February 2012, Bernanke warned of a potential crisis point looming at the end of the year: "Under current law, on January 1, 2013, there's going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases," he said, popularizing a phrase that be used millions of times over the following months. 

Getty Images/The Fiscal Times