Watergate Fast Facts

Here's a look at Watergate, the 1970s political scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

June 17, 1972 - Five men are arrested after breaking into Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. White House press secretary Ron Ziegler describes the incident as a "third-rate burglary."

September 15, 1972 - For their parts in the break-in at the DNC headquarters, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzales, E. Howard Hunt, G. Gordon Liddy, Eugenio Martinez, James McCord and Frank Sturgis are indicted by a grand jury.

October 10, 1972 - The Washington Post publishes a story by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, stating that the FBI believes aides to President Nixon are responsible for the Watergate break in.

November 7, 1972 - Nixon is elected to a second term in office, defeating Democratic candidate George McGovern.

January 30, 1973 - Former FBI agent Liddy and former CIA employee McCord, security director of the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP), are found guilty of conspiracy, burglary and bugging DNC headquarters. Hunt, a former CIA operative, and the four others involved ended their trials by pleading guilty.

April 30, 1973 - Four of Nixon's top officials resign as the Watergate scandal grows: John Dean, White House counsel; H. R. Haldeman, chief of staff; John D. Ehrlichman, assistant for domestic affairs; and Attorney General Richard Kleindienst.