The Harper’s Pond Reader: Death of a man who admitted he had screwed up

On April 22, 1994, former President Richard M. Nixon died after suffering a stroke four days earlier.

In a 1978 speech at Oxford University, Nixon admitted he had screwed up during his presidency but predicted that his achievements would be viewed more favorably with time. He told the young audience, “You’ll be here in the year 2000, see how I am regarded then.”