The Watergate scandal was a significant political controversy in the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974, ultimately resulting in Nixon's resignation. It originated from attempts by the Nixon administration to conceal its involvement in the June 17, 1972, break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
During the break-in, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy remained in contact with each other and with the burglars by radio; these Chapstick tubes outfitted with tiny microphones were later discovered in Hunt's White House office safe.
A transistor radio used in the Watergate break-in
A walkie-talkie used in Watergate break-in
The DNC filing cabinet in the Watergate office building damaged by the burglars
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His presidency saw the reduction of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nixon's second term ended early when he became the only U.S. president to resign from office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.
Portrait, c. 1969–1974
Nixon (second from right) makes his newspaper debut in 1916, contributing five cents to a fund for World War I orphans; his brother Donald is to his right.
Nixon as a senior at Whittier High School in 1930
Nixon's family: Julie and David Eisenhower, President Nixon, First Lady Pat Nixon, Tricia, and Edward Cox on December 24, 1971
