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What happened on May 9th?
A historic step against a sitting president
Matthew Jones
May 09, 2025
1974 US House Judiciary Committee Begins Nixon Impeachment Hearings
On May 9th, 1974, the US House Judiciary Committee opened formal hearings to investigate President Richard Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. The hearings focused on evidence of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress following the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. As the investigation progressed, mounting pressure led to Nixon’s resignation later that year, making him the first and only US president to step down from office.
The Committee on the Judiciary, US House of Representatives, opens formal impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon on May 9, 1974.
🗞️Today’s Headlines
Everything important that’s ever happened on May 9:
1980 — Friday the 13th premiered in theaters, launching a franchise that defined the slasher genre and introduced the infamous Jason Voorhees.
1960 — The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first birth control pill, Enovid, in a victory for advocates of reproductive rights and contraception.
1958 — Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller, premiered in San Francisco and became one of the greatest films in cinema history.
1936 — Italy annexed Ethiopia, completing its invasion under Benito Mussolini and establishing Italian East Africa.
1502 — Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain on his fourth and final voyage in his search for a westward route to the Indian Ocean, encountering Central America instead.
🎂 Today’s Birthdays
On May 9, we’re singing to:
John Brown (1800) — American abolitionist known for leading armed resistance against slavery, especially the raid on Harpers Ferry.
Belle Boyd (1844) — Confederate spy during the American Civil War famous for passing intelligence to Southern forces.
Albert Finney (1936) — British actor acclaimed for his performances in Tom Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, and Erin Brockovich.
Billy Joel (1949) — American musician and songwriter best known for hits like “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
🪦Who Died Today?
On May 9, we’re saying goodbye to:
Julius Nepos (480) — Roman emperor considered by some historians to be the last legitimate ruler of the Western Roman Empire.
William Bradford (1657) — Key figure in early American history who served as governor of the Plymouth Colony for over 30 years.
Friedrich Schiller (1805) — German writer and playwright famous for works like William Tell and Ode to Joy, later used in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Tenzing Norgay (1986) — Nepali-Indian mountaineer who, with Edmund Hillary, became one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953.
Little Richard (2020) — American musician and rock and roll pioneer, known for hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly.”
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