House Judiciary Committee opened impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon

House Judiciary Committee opened impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon

May 9, 2009 04:00:00 am

On May 9, 1974, the US House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Peter Rodino (D-NJ) opened hearings into the possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon in connection with the Watergate scandal.

The Committee voted to impeach Nixon on three counts on July 30. Chairman Rodino died in 2005 at his home in New Jersey. He was 95.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Watergate burglary trial began

On January 8, 1973, seven men went on trial in Washington DC in connection with a June 17, 1972 break-in to Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Read more about the Watergate burglary and cover-up.

France approves self-determination for Algeria

On January 8, 1961, voters in France overwhelmingly approved self-determination for Algeria. By a 75 percent margin, French citizens voted in favor of a referendum which allowed the colony of Algeria to determine its own future. On July 1, 1961, Algerians elected to become an independent nation by a near-unanimous margin. These events concluded nearly a decade of fighting in the French-Algerian War. Learn more about the history of the French-Algerian War.