On This Day – 9th August

On 9th August 1974, as a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon became the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, took office in his place.

The Watergate scandal followed a break-in by five men at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972, and President Richard Nixon's administration's subsequent attempt to cover up its involvement. After the five burglars were caught and the conspiracy was discovered -chiefly through the work of a few journalists, Congressional staffers and an election-finance watchdog official – Watergate was investigated by the United States Congress.

The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by members of the Nixon administration, an impeachment process against the president that led to articles of impeachment, and Nixon's resignation.

The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty, many of whom were top Nixon officials.

A secret informant who provided information in to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters for The Washington Post. The information provided key details about the involvement of U.S. President Richard Nixon's administration in what came to be known as the Watergate scandal.

The informant was code-named Deep Throat, but – who was he?

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