These two photos document part of an important historic event. Know what it could be? Recognize the place and time? No? Give yourself a few minutes to guess the obvious? Still can't get it?
Washington DC August 1974. The day before President Nixon resigns. The Senators make their way to the White House to let him know that he does not have support in the Senate. No digital communication in those days. I visited there in the summer of 1974 with Steve W, we're with my cousins the Rosenbergs. We're hanging in the back of the White House where the cars come in and out. Notice all the guards and people gathered around the gate. We sauntered around back there and found news photographers feverishly snapping pictures of the cars and the people inside. I sidled up to one of them.
"What's going on"
"Nothing"
"Why are you here standing here taking these pictures?"
"I dunno"
Obviously they weren't going to tell me a darn thing. So we stood around, hoping to understand the historical context through our feet. Sedans would cruise by, the photographers would snap pictures as fast as they could.
Whatever it is, it must be important.
We watched Nixon resign on a black and white set in my cousin's art studio at the University of Delaware. The day after the resignation, we took the train to NYC. There wasn't a paper to be found at any of the newstands, all sold out.
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