Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre and the Metre Redefined by Light

Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre and the Metre Redefined by Light

•

Episode description

Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre and the Metre Redefined by Light

On 20 October 1973, Richard Nixon attempted to shut down the Watergate investigation by firing special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Two senior Justice Department officials resigned rather than carry out the order. The resulting ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ accelerated Nixon’s downfall and became a definitive moment in the abuse of executive power. Ten years later, scientists in Paris redefined the metre using the speed of light, anchoring human measurement to a universal constant rather than a metal bar in a vault. And in 1995, a Mumbai cinema began screening Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a film that would run continuously for decades, becoming an institution in its own right. Three stories about moments when authority collapsed, precision improved, and audiences refused to let go.

Chapters

  • Intro Clara introduces the episode with a snapshot of Washington DC on 20 October 1973, the night Richard Nixon fired two senior law officers who refused to dismiss the Watergate special prosecutor.
  • The Saturday Night Massacre Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox. Richardson refuses and resigns. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refuses and resigns. Solicitor General Robert Bork complies. The public reaction is swift and devastating, accelerating calls for impeachment and ultimately contributing to Nixon’s resignation in August 1974.
  • Redefining the Metre On 20 October 1983, the General Conference on Weights and Measures redefines the metre using the speed of light in a vacuum, replacing the physical platinum-iridium bar and anchoring measurement to a universal constant.
  • The Film That Never Stopped Running On 20 October 1995, Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai screens Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for the first time. The film continues to run continuously for decades, becoming a cultural institution and one of the longest theatrical runs in cinema history.
  • Outro Clara reflects on three moments from 20 October: a president’s overreach, a scientific redefinition, and a film that refused to end.

Links

No chapters are available for this episode.