Nixon Resigns
Richard Nixon announced his resignation as US President over the Watergate scandal
August 09, 1974
The Break-In That Brought Down a President
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic Party's headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. The burglars were connected to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign. Nixon won the 1972 election in a landslide, but over the following months, investigators and journalists uncovered a web of political spying, dirty tricks, and cover-up efforts that led straight to the Oval Office. White House tape recordings revealed that Nixon had tried to use the CIA to block the FBI's investigation of the break-in — a clear abuse of presidential power.
The Resignation
Facing almost certain impeachment by the House of Representatives and likely conviction by the Senate, Richard Nixon made a historic decision. On the evening of August 8, 1974, he addressed the nation on television and announced he would resign the presidency the following day. He became the first — and so far only — U.S. president to resign from office. The next morning, Nixon boarded a helicopter on the White House lawn and flew away. Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as president and famously declared, "Our long national nightmare is over."
Watergate's Lasting Impact
The Watergate scandal permanently changed how Americans view their government and their leaders. Trust in the federal government dropped sharply and has never fully recovered. The scandal led to major campaign finance reforms and strengthened laws protecting whistleblowers. The suffix "-gate" became a shorthand in English for any political scandal. Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose reporting was central to uncovering the cover-up, became cultural heroes. Watergate showed that no one — not even the president — is above the law. Use the date calculator to see how many years have passed since Nixon's resignation.