Watergate break-in at the Watergate complex

On June 17, 1972, five burglars were arrested inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate office complex, initiating the Watergate scandal. The subsequent federal investigation and Senate hearings exposed illegal activities tied to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign and led to Nixon's resignation in 1974. The break-in and its political fallout are among the most documented political-crime episodes in U.S. history.