If you were around 50 years ago today, whether as a child or adult you probably remember where you were that day when something happened that had never happened before.
It was on August 8th in 1974, that Richard Nixon announced to the nation live on radio and TV that he was resigning from office….officially ending his term as the 37th president of the United States, the first time a U.S president had resigned.
And then just minutes later, Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th president.
Ford’s famous words are still remembered 50 years later…as he said…"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."
A few months later, Ford granted a pardon to Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate affair.
And there were indeed divisions with protests still going on over the Vietnam War.
Now 50 years later we are nearing a presidential election that has the country divided again with what happens on November 5th in 2024 also to make history one way or another.
WATCH HISTORY CHANNEL VIDEO OF RESIGNATION
(Photo Getty Images)