TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT August 8, 1974

President Richard Nixon, facing damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal, announced he would resign the following day.

ON THIS DATE 1973

Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as “damned lies” reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign — which he ended up doing.

2003

The Boston Roman Catholic archdiocese offered $55 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits stemming from alleged sex abuse by priests.

2009

Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court’s first Hispanic and third female justice.