How did the government shutdown end?

Unfortunately for those people who were out of work, it took sixteen days for a solution to be agreed upon. By most accounts, the final compromise was crafted by several women senators, including two Republican moderates (Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Susan Collins of Maine), as well as some moderate men from both parties.

Led by majority leader Harry Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell, the group of senators finally worked out a compromise and it got enough votes to pass. The house then was able to also pass it (even though a large number of Republicans still voted against it); by that point, polling was showing that the public was turning against the Republicans, and it was imperative that a compromise be reached to re-open the government. Thus, the majority in the House ruled in favor of the senate bill and the shutdown finally ended late on October 16, 2013.