38th Anniversary of the resignation of President Nixon

August 9, 1974 marks the 38th Anniversary of the resignation from the presidency of the United State by Richard Milhous Nixon, which had been announced in a speech to the the American people, the night before, and became effective at noon. Nixon, under threat of impeachment as a result of the Watergate scandal, became the first US president to resign. President Gerald Ford became president, the only president never to have been elected.

I remember this vividly for a number of reasons. Growing up, I lived on Key Biscayne, Florida, which was the site of the Nixon compound. When I was in sixth and seventh grades, we would always see President Nixon around the island. The presidential limo even stopped and  President Nixon watched the Island Little League All-Star Baseball Game that I played catcher. When he returned from China, the elementary school turned out en masse in the middle of the night to welcome him home.

Fast forward to 1974, and my family was living in Bermuda. My father was operating the Sonesta Beach Hotel and we were down in his office and I remember listening to WABC out of New York, as they carried the resignation address live in the evening. As a 13 year old, I knew that I was listening to history being made.

Do you remember when this happened? Do you remember where you were? Let me know!