1974: Hank Bests the Babe, Nixon Resigns, Patty Hearst

By Patrick Mondout

Richard Nixon ends nearly three years of investigations into his abuses of power by resigning rather than being impeached leaving the United States with an unelected president. In other news, Patty Hearst was kidnapped, Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth's home run record, and the OPEC oil embargo ends.

Major Stories

January 13: The Miami Dolphins defeat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII.

January 15: During on-going hearings on Watergate, court-appointed experts announce the 18.5 minutes of missing audio on the Watergate tapes were erased.

February 4: Patricia Hearst is abducted by terrorists from her apartment in Berkeley, California.

February 13: Writer Aleksadr Solzhenitsyn is deported by the Soviet Union.

February 28: The United States normalizes diplomatic relations with Egypt for the first time since 1967.

March 3: A DC-10 loses a cargo door and crashes near Paris. In the worst aviation accident to date, all 346 passengers and crew are killed.

March 18: The OPEC oil embargo against the United States ends.

April 4: NATO celebrates its 25th anniversary.

April 8: Henry "Hank" Aaron overcomes death threats to break Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs with his 715th off Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta.

April 15: Patty Hearst is seen holding an automatic weapon in front of an SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army - the group that kidnapped her on February 4) flag in a photograph distributed by the terrorist organization.

July 7: West Germany defeated the Netherlands 2-1 to win soccer's World Cup.

July 20: Turkey invades Cyprus.

August 8: Facing certain impeachment, Richard Nixon becomes the first U.S. president to resign.

August 9: Gerald Ford, the first unelected vice-president, becomes the only unelected president.

September 4: Diplomatic relations are established with East Germany.

September 10: Evil Knieval makes an unsuccessful attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho.

October 17: President Ford pardons Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed.

November 8: Former Lieutenant Bill Calley, who had been convicted of murdering 22 civilians in Mylai, Vietnam, is paroled.

November 22: The PLO obtains "observer" status at the United Nations.

December 1: A TWA 727 crashes into hill on approach to Dulles Airport. All 92 aboard are killed.

December 19: Nelson Rockefeller becomes the second unelected vice president (following Gerald Ford a year earlier).