Today in History: October 10, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns

Today is Saturday, Oct. 10, the 283rd day of 2026. There are 82 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, accused of accepting bribes, resigned his office and pleaded no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion. President Richard Nixon later tapped congressman Gerald Ford to replace Agnew. Nixon resigned in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal and Ford succeeded him.

Also on this date:

In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland, with an inaugural class of 50 students.

In 1911, Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.

In 1935, the George Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-Black cast, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 124 performances.

In 1964, the Summer Olympics began in Tokyo, the first Summer Games to be telecast around the world.

In 1966, the Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations,” written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, was released by Capitol Records.

In 1970, Fiji became independent of the United Kingdom, 96 years after the South Pacific island archipelago had been colonized.

In 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. jets stepped up bombing of the Afghan capital of Kabul while President George W. Bush unveiled a list of 22 most-wanted terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.

In 2014, Malala Yousafzai (mah-LAH’-lah YOO’-suhf-zeye), a 17-year-old Pakistani girl, and Kailash Satyarthi (KY’-lash saht-YAHR’-thee), a 60-year-old Indian man, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives for the right of children to receive an education and to live free from abuse.

In 2018, Michael, the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in 26 years, barreled onto the Florida Panhandle with 160 mph (257 kph) winds, causing widespread devastation and billions of dollars in losses.

In 2023, Israel continued to rapidly mass troops and tanks near the Gaza Strip as part of a rapidly expanding counteroffensive against Hamas militants who had stormed into Israel three days earlier, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Peter Coyote is 85. Entertainer Ben Vereen is 80. Actor Charles Dance is 80. Author Nora Roberts is 76. Rock singer David Lee Roth is 72. Country singer Tanya Tucker is 68. Actor Julia Sweeney is 67. Actor Bradley Whitford is 67. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is 59. Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is 57. Actor/TV host Mario Lopez is 53. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 52. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger is 52. Singer-songwriter Mýa is 47. Actor Dan Stevens is 44. NBA player Josh Giddey is 24. Actor Thomas Kuc is 24.