A Brief History
On June 17, 1994, after former NFL legend OJ Simpson failed to turn himself in to authorities after promising to do so, the LAPD spotted the accused murderer being driven in a 1993 Ford Bronco down the 405 and began a low-speed chase of the suspect which was televised live for 95 million American viewers.
Digging Deeper
Simpson had thrilled football fans as a college and professional running back, and further entertained movie and television watchers as an actor. With an outgoing and genial persona, OJ was one of the most popular sports figures in the US.
On June 13, 1994, the ex-wife of OJ, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were brutally murdered by stabbing and OJ became the prime suspect.
The 90-minute chase was watched by thousands of viewers lining the route, many cheering for their idol. The chase ended with the peaceful arrest of Simpson at his home in Brentwood, and despite the damming optics of OJ having his passport, a gun, thousands of dollars, and checks with him in the Bronco, he was later acquitted of the murders.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Do you believe OJ was guilty of the murders?
If you liked this article and would like to receive notifications of new articles, please feel welcome to follow History and Headlines on Facebook and X!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Clark, Marcia. Without a Doubt. West 26th Street Press, 2016.
Johnson, T.H. PURSUIT OF EXHIBIT 35 In the OJ Simpson Murder Trial and its Hidden Secrets. Kindle, 2011.
The featured image in this article, a football card from the 1986 Jeno’s Pizza NFL football card stickers set of Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson rushing the ball against the New York Jets on December 16, 1973, breaking the NFL’s single-season rushing record, is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1978 and March 1, 1989 without a copyright notice, and its copyright was not subsequently registered with the U.S. Copyright Office within 5 years.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
