Watergate

Early on June 17, 1972, police arrested five burglars in the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate office complex. Newspapers soon revealed that one of the burglars worked for the President Richard Nixon's re-election organization. The president's aides moved to cover up their involvement in the break-in and distance the president from the crime. Eventually, the courts, Congress, and reporters unraveled the truth. After being found to have committed crimes, Nixon resigned as president of the United States.