Watergate scandal

The White House Plumbers, including E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, attempted to steal psychiatric records from Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, Lewis Fielding, in order to discredit Ellsberg for leaking the Pentagon Papers.

G. Gordon Liddy's team, part of the Plumbers, breaks into the DNC Headquarters at the Watergate complex, planting bugs on staffers' telephones.

Burglary and illegal wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex by members of President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, leading to a cover-up and Nixon's resignation.

Associated Press story identifies one of the burglars as the security coordinator for Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President. This revelation links the break-in to Nixon's campaign organization.

Bob Woodward reports in The Washington Post that one of the burglars had E. Howard Hunt in his address book and possessed checks signed by Hunt, and that Hunt was connected to Charles Colson. Nixon and Haldeman have a conversation that is recorded by the White House taping system, with later erasure of eighteen and a half minutes of the conversation.

President Nixon and Haldeman have a conversation that is recorded on the 'smoking gun' tape, revealing Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover-up.

During his tenure as attorney general, John Mitchell oversaw a clandestine Republican fund used to finance extensive intelligence-gathering operations against the Democrats, according to The Washington Post.

Watergate burglar McCord writes a letter to Judge Sirica alleging perjury under duress and disavowing CIA involvement in the burglary, implicating other government officials and pointing the investigation towards the White House.

During a White House meeting, John Dean informs President Nixon about a 'cancer' close to the Presidency, discussing plans to pay convicted Watergate burglars for a cover-up.

L. Patrick Gray resigns as FBI Director after revelations of file destruction from E. Howard Hunt's safe, leading to William Ruckelshaus being appointed as his successor.

The Senate Watergate Committee initiates nationally televised hearings to investigate the Watergate scandal, bringing the issue to the forefront of public attention.

Independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox is appointed to oversee the investigation into potential presidential misconduct, intensifying the scrutiny on the Watergate affair.

During congressional testimony on July 13, 1973, Alexander Butterfield discloses that President Nixon had been secretly recording all conversations and phone calls in his offices since 1971.

On July 18, 1973, President Nixon reportedly instructs the disconnection of the White House taping system, which had been recording conversations secretly.

On July 23, 1973, President Nixon declines to provide the presidential tape recordings to the Senate Watergate committee and the special prosecutor, raising suspicions and intensifying the Watergate scandal.

On July 24, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that President Nixon must hand over the tapes and documents requested by special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox.

The Senate Watergate Committee hearings took place on Capitol Hill in Washington. Various senators and witnesses, including Lt. Gen. Vernon Walters, testified regarding the Watergate scandal.

Richard Nixon becomes the first U.S. president to resign from office amidst the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald R. Ford assumes the presidency.

On August 16, 1973, President Nixon delivered a nationwide television address from his White House office regarding the Watergate scandal. He denied any prior knowledge of the break-in and cover-up associated with the incident.

Spiro Agnew steps down as Vice President of the United States due to corruption allegations during his time as Maryland's governor.

Gerald Ford is selected as vice president under the 25th Amendment following Agnew's resignation.

Nixon orders the firing of special prosecutor Cox, leading to the resignations of Elliot Richardson and Ruckelshaus. Robert Bork eventually carries out the order.

Leon Jaworski is named as the new special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal.

Nixon delivers the famous 'I am not a crook' speech during a televised press conference at Disney World in Florida.

The Senate Committee announces the discovery of an eighteen and a half minute gap on the tape of a conversation between Nixon and Haldeman. The White House is unable to provide an explanation for the gap, and Nixon's secretary, Rose Mary Woods, later claims she accidentally erased the material.

The Senate votes 92 to 3 to confirm Gerald Ford as the new Vice President.

The House votes 387 to 35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President, and he takes the oath of office shortly after.

Nixon campaign aide Herbert Porter pleads guilty to perjury charges.

Nixon's personal counsel Herbert Kalmbach pleads guilty to two counts of illegal campaign activities.

In an indictment against seven former presidential aides, Nixon is implicated as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Watergate scandal.

President Richard Nixon announced during a nationally-televised speech that he would turn over the transcripts of the White House tapes to House impeachment investigators.

On April 30, 1974, the White House released over 1,200 pages of edited transcripts of the Nixon tapes to the House Judiciary Committee. However, the committee demanded the actual tapes, leading to further controversy and investigations.

Impeachment hearings against President Nixon commence before the House Judiciary Committee.

On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that President Nixon must hand over the tape recordings of 64 White House conversations, rejecting his claims of executive privilege.

The House Judiciary Committee passed the first of three articles of impeachment against President Nixon on July 27, 1974, specifically charging him with obstruction of justice.

On August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign from office. Vice President Gerald R. Ford then assumed the presidency, later pardoning Nixon of all charges related to the Watergate scandal.

Richard Nixon resigns as the 37th President of the United States on August 9, 1974, due to the Watergate scandal and other abuses of power discovered during the investigation.

On January 1, 1975, John Mitchell, John Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman were convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury.

The Watergate scandal concluded on August 9, 1975, with the resignation of President Richard Nixon, following a series of investigations and revelations.

In January 1992, journalists Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin published Silent Coup, which blamed the Watergate burglary on John Dean, who allegedly wanted to cover up his fiancée's involvement with a call-girl ring. The book was endorsed by Liddy and Stone, leading to legal actions and controversies.

W. Mark Felt, a former FBI official, is confirmed to be Deep Throat, the anonymous source who helped expose the Watergate scandal.