The OJ Simpson Verdict | 7
History of the 90s
00:00
The Trial of the Century
Around 100 million people around the world watched the court proceedings. The trial created some of the most intense early demand for the current 24-hour news cycle, and it sewed the seeds for the reality television boom to follow. Americans had never been so consumed by a single news story. Long distance calls were down 58% during that half hour. Electric consumption surged as Americans used their TVs. Trading volume dropped 41% on the New York Stock Exchange. President Bill Clinton left the Oval Office to watch the verdict with his staff. Supreme Court justices hearing a case that day arranged to have notes passed to them so they could know what the verdict was as soon as it came down.
Transcript
Play full episode
