In August 1974, Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign from office. He did so in order to avoid being impeached by the House of Representatives and tried by the Senate. Nixon’s resignation came after it was revealed that he had been involved in a cover-up of the Watergate scandal.
The Watergate scandal began in 1972 when five men were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. The men were arrested and charged with burglary and attempted bugging of the offices.
The burglars were connected to Nixon’s re-election campaign, and the scandal eventually led to Nixon’s impeachment and resignation. Nixon was not charged with any crime related to the Watergate scandal, but many believe that he was involved in the cover-up and that he knew about the break-in before it happened.