July 24

July in 1974 was a very busy month for the Republicans in the White House and for those in the neighborhood, or in da hood, in current parlance, as well. On the 27th, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 27 to 11 to recommend the first Article of Impeachment against Richard Nixon: Obstruction of justice. On the 29th, they voted to recommend the second: Abuse of power; on the 30th the third and final Article was recommended: Contempt of Congress. Whoever said it was going to be a long, hot summer gets credit for being a master of understatement. While the summer of 1964 is generally considered the first of the Long Hot Summers, the summer of 1974 wasn’t exactly chilly.