July 14, 1913: Leslie Lynch King Jr. — who would change his name to Gerald Ford — was born. He was the 38th president, serving between 1974-77. Ford, known as the "accidental president," was named vice president by President Richard Nixon after Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation in the fall of 1973. He would then succeed Nixon himself after Nixon resigned in August 1974. Thus, Ford was the only person in American history to become both vice president and president without ever being elected to either office.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
India elections start amid violence, hate speech accusationsTalking Points Narendra Modi seeks a third term while critics worry about the future of the country's democracy
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cowsSpeed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
