Watergate: What happened 50 years ago and what was its significance?

Deep throat was no hero – ‘he was a bum’ – says former FBI agent

US president Richard Nixon, with his wife Pat and daughter Tricia, announces his resignation  on August 9th, 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Photograph: Reuters
US president Richard Nixon, with his wife Pat and daughter Tricia, announces his resignation on August 9th, 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Photograph: Reuters