1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
Less than a year before Richard Nixon’s resignation as president of the United States, Spiro Agnew became the first U.S. vice president to resign in disgrace on Oct. 10, 1973. The same day, he pleaded no contest to a charge of federal income tax evasion in exchange for the dropping of charges of political corruption. He was subsequently fined $10,000, sentenced to three years probation, and disbarred by the Maryland court of appeals. Agnew, a Republican, was elected chief executive of Baltimore County in 1961, then became governor in 1967 until the 1968 presidential election. He was reelected with Nixon in 1972, but resigned after the Justice Department uncovered widespread evidence of his political corruption, including allegations that his practice of accepting bribes had continued into his tenure as vice president. Under the process decreed by the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, Nixon nominated Rep. Gerald Ford of Michigan, who had to be approved by both houses of Congress. Ford was sworn in on Dec. 6.
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