Watergate trivia
More Watergate Trivia
Watergate Mini Quiz
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Facing certain impeachment over the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon became the only US president to do what?
Nixon stepped down on August 9, 1974, avoiding a formal impeachment trial, and was later granted a full presidential pardon by Gerald Ford.
Secret informant "Deep Throat" helped expose the Watergate scandal through reporters at which newspaper?
Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein relied on the informant, whose identity as FBI Associate Director Mark Felt remained secret until 2005.
The Watergate scandal began when burglars broke into the headquarters of which political organization?
The burglars were connected to Nixon's reelection campaign and were caught trying to wiretap phones at the Watergate office complex in June 1972.
The infamous "smoking gun" audio tape proved that President Richard Nixon did what during Watergate?
Though no evidence showed Nixon planned the initial burglary, this tape proved he directed the CIA to halt the FBI's investigation into the crime.
The Watergate film All the President's Men features the informant "Deep Throat" giving what advice?
Although popularized by the 1976 film, the real informant Mark Felt never actually said this phrase. Screenwriter William Goldman invented the iconic line for the movie.
The Watergate scandal created a lasting linguistic legacy by attaching the suffix "-gate" to what?
The suffix originates from the Watergate complex where the 1972 break-in occurred. It is now used globally to denote cover-ups and controversies, such as "Irangate".
President Nixon's covert team, the White House Plumbers, existed primarily to stop what?
The group was formed in 1971 after Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers. They earned the nickname "Plumbers" because their primary mission was to plug information leaks.
Investigators reviewing the Watergate scandal found a suspicious 18.5-minute gap in what evidence?
Nixon's secretary claimed she accidentally erased the audio while reaching for a phone. Her demonstration of this improbable posture was mocked as the "Rose Mary stretch".
The Watergate scandal created what lasting linguistic trend in political journalism?
Political columnist William Safire helped popularize this linguistic trend, which is now used globally for controversies ranging from "Irangate" to sports' "Deflategate."
The Watergate fallout forced Richard Nixon to become the only U.S. president to do what?
Nixon officially stepped down on August 9, 1974, after losing support from his own party and realizing his impeachment and removal by Congress were inevitable.