Watergate scandal

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Watergate scandal

Watergate complex

Colson, Charles; Haldeman, H.R.

See U.S. president Richard M. Nixon speaking about the Watergate scandal

Richard Nixon: farewell speech

On This Day: May 9

For Students

Watergate scandal

Watergate scandal summary

Read Next

President Richard M. Nixon smiles and gives the victory sign as he boards the White House helicopter after his resignation on August 9, 1974 in Washington, D.C.

Timeline of the 1970s

Watergate scandal. Richard M. Nixon. President Nixon gives a press conference and talks to the press, March 12, 1971.

9 American Political Scandals

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting

Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?

Discover

Panoramic view of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile

8 of the World’s Most-Remote Islands

The starting line-up at the first ever Indianapolis 500 motor race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, 1911.

The First Indy 500: A Spectacular Start in 1911

Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time

Clouds of smoke rise from fires at the World Trade Center Towers as a result of terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Photographed 9:54 am in Lower Manhattan.

Timeline of the September 11 Attacks

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

American bison (Bison bison) also known as buffalo or plains buffalo on the prairie, western U.S.

What’s the Difference Between Bison and Buffalo?

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

Watergate scandal: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 18, 2025

News •

The future of history: Trump could leave less documentation behind than any previous US president • May 18, 2025, 7:40 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Date	June 17, 1972 - August 9, 1975
Location	United States • Washington, D.C.

Did You Know?

Only in 2005 did the Washington Post reveal informant Deep Throat's real identity: the former FBI agent Mark Felt.
In 1977, Nixon claimed that "when the president does it, that means it's not illegal."
During the investigation, Nixon famously said on TV that, "I'm not a crook", a remark still parodied in comedy today.

Photos and Videos

Watergate scandal

Watergate complex

Colson, Charles; Haldeman, H.R.

Richard Nixon: farewell speech

Watergate scandal

See U.S. president Richard M. Nixon speaking about the Watergate scandal

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Podcasts →

Topics

United States government wiretapping Nixon resigns: Watergate’s legacy burglary

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

president of United States

G. Gordon Liddy

G. Gordon Liddy

American political operative

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward

American journalist and author

Seymour Hersh

American journalist

John Dean

John Dean

United States political adviser

Ehrlichman, John D.

John D. Ehrlichman

United States political adviser

E. Howard Hunt

E. Howard Hunt

United States government official

Leon Jaworski

American lawyer

John Mitchell

attorney general of United States

Ervin, Samuel J., Jr.

Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.

United States senator

“The Iron Chancellor”

H.R. Haldeman

United States political adviser

Sirica, John

John Sirica

United States judge

Quiz

Graphic artwork represents music of the seventies - (source file includes the fifties, sixties, eighties, and nineties, 50s, 60s, 70, 80s, 90s, decades)

That Groovy ’70s Quiz

List

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Watergate scandal. Richard M. Nixon. President Nixon gives a press conference and talks to the press, March 12, 1971.

9 American Political Scandals