History Today: How a burglary unravelled the Watergate scandal

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One of the United States' biggest political scandals unfolded following the arrest of five burglars on June 17, 1972. The effect was such that President Richard Nixon had to resign from public office, the only president to have done so. On this day in 1994, former NFL star and actor OJ Simpson was formally charged with the murders of his ex-wife and her friend, leading to one of the most highly publicised and controversial criminal trials in American history read more
In the wee hours of June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building in Washington DC. What seemed like a minor burglary snowballed into one of the most extensive political scandals and cover-up operations in the United States.
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On this day in 1994, former NFL star and actor OJ Simpson was formally charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan died on this day in 1631.
Here is all that took place on this day across the world.
Break-in at the Watergate Complex
One of the most controversial political scandals, the Watergate scandal, began unravelling in the United States on June 17, 1972, with a minor burglary. The burglary took place in the early hours at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate Hotel and Office Complex in Washington, DC.
Approximately 2:30 am, a security guard named Frank Wills noticed tape covering the latches on several doors leading from the underground parking garage to the DNC offices. He removed it but sometime later found the tape had been reapplied which prompted him to call the police. Three plainclothes officers responded and apprehended five men inside the DNC headquarters. These were Virgilio Gonzalez, Bernard Barker, Eugenio Martinez, Frank Sturgis and James W McCord Jr, a former CIA agent. They were caught with burglary tools, cameras and electronic bugging equipment.
Initial reactions from the White House dismissed the incident as a 'third-rate burglary attempt.' However, the subsequent investigation by the FBI and tenacious reporting by The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein soon exposed deep connections between the burglars and then-President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign.
It became clear that the break-in was part of a broader political espionage and sabotage effort. The discovery of White House involvement in covering up the break-in, including secret recordings of Oval Office conversations, eventually led to impeachment proceedings against President Nixon. Facing inevitable impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. This made him the only US president to do so in history. The Watergate break-in fundamentally altered American politics, underscoring the importance of journalistic integrity and accountability in government.
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OJ Simpson charged with murder of former wife, friend
On this day in 1994, former NFL star and actor OJ Simpson was formally charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The two had been found stabbed to death outside Brown's Los Angeles condominium on June 12.
Following the discovery of the bodies, evidence quickly pointed to Simpson as the primary suspect. A warrant was issued for his arrest on June 17, but instead of surrendering, he became the subject of a dramatic low-speed police pursuit through Los Angeles. Simpson was eventually taken into custody and pleaded not guilty to both murder charges.
File image of OJ Simson reacting to not being found guilty in the death of his ex-wife and her friend. AP
The subsequent criminal trial, often dubbed the 'Trial of the Century,' began in January 1995 and lasted for eight months. The prosecution presented a significant amount of forensic evidence, including blood samples and DNA. However, Simpson's high-profile defence team, famously known as the 'Dream Team,' successfully raised doubts about the evidence's handling and alleged police misconduct. On October 3, 1995, a jury acquitted Simpson of the criminal charges.
Mumtaz Mahal passed away
Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan passed away on June 17, 1631, in Burhanpur (present-day Madhya Pradesh). It is believed that she succumbed to postpartum haemorrhage after giving birth to her 14th child Gauhar Ara Begum. According to some accounts, the labour was reportedly prolonged and difficult, lasting around 30 hours.
Her sudden demise left Emperor Shah Jahan utterly devastated. Contemporary court chroniclers extensively documented his profound grief, noting that he withdrew into seclusion for a year and his hair turned white from sorrow. This immense personal loss profoundly impacted the emperor and led to the commissioning of one of the world's most iconic architectural marvels.
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Initially, Mumtaz Mahal's body was temporarily interred in a walled pleasure garden called Zainabad in Burhanpur, on the banks of the Tapti River. However, in December 1631, her remains were exhumed and transported in a golden casket to Agra. There, she was temporarily buried again before the construction of the magnificent Taj Mahal began in 1632. The Taj Mahal which was completed over two decades, remains her permanent and revered mausoleum.
This Day, That Year
On this day in 1944, Iceland declared itself a republic.
The Soviet Red Army invaded Latvia in 1940.
In the Battle of Bunker Hill, American colonial revolutionaries clashed with British regulars during the Siege of Boston on this day in 1775.