President Richard Nixon resigns
On 8 August 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign from office, following the Watergate scandal.
On 8 August 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign from office, following the Watergate scandal.
This scandal began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in 1972, which was linked to Nixon’s re-election campaign.
The release of tapes from within the White House, dubbed the Nixon Tapes, revealed Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up, leading to a loss of political support and impending impeachment proceedings.
In 2014, Farhana Haider spoke to journalist Tom DeFrank, who watched the drama unfold minute by minute.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
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(Photo: Richard Nixon. Credit: Getty Images)
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Landmark moments in US presidential history told by the people who were there
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Witness History
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