Hey, history lovers. I'm Mike Rosenwald with Retropod, a show about the past, rediscovered.

It was 30 minutes past midnight on June 17, 1972. Frank Wills, a 24-year-old security guard,

was patrolling the parking garage at the Watergate office complex in Washington. It was a night just like any other night, except for one tiny but very important detail.

There was masking tape covering the locks on a stairwell door.

Maybe the maintenance crew had taped the doors to keep them from locking, Will's thought.

He ripped off the tape, then took his shift break.

When he came back about an hour later, he noticed the tape had reappeared.

Then, Will's made a decision that would change the course of history in American politics.

He called the police and reported a burglary in progress.

That little piece of tape Will's spotted was the beginning of the biggest corruption scandal in U.S. history and led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

But despite his crucial role in the incident, Will's rarely gets any credit.

Take the best-selling book All the President's Men.

Will's wasn't even mentioned by name.

He was cast to play himself in the 1976 film version, but you could barely even call it a cameo

appearance.

The movie opens with an 11-second scene of Will's turning a doorknop.

The shadowy shot captures him inspecting the tape on the door before ripping it off.

The camera cuts. That's it. Will's name faded from headlines quickly after Watergate. Post-reporter

Carlin Barker remembers him as a nice guy.

When she met him at his house, he opened the door carrying a kitten.

The security guard would give speeches or interviews whenever the anniversary of Watergate rolled around,

but he would never profit the way other players did during Watergate, even those who were convicted. He quit his job with a security

...