President Richard Nixon resigns

Witness History

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.

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(Photo: Richard Nixon. Credit: Getty Images)