POWER PLAY: O.J. VERDICT STANDS AS A HUGE HISTORICAL EVENT

Regardless of your feelings or opinion concerning the O.J. Simpson verdict, one thing is certain: The interest generated by that case was so intense that the verdict will stand for some time as a "Where were you when you heard?" question.

I was standing in the office of the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor, intently listening to the radio with a clerk as the verdict was read.

My reason for being in the prosecutor's office had nothing to do with O.J. I was hanging around asking questions about a murder/suicide which occurred the night before just north of Pocahontas.

The fact that such a horrid crime occurred at all is of course a tragedy, but it was also very poorly timed. On any other day it would have been the top story among all the area media. Instead, however, room had to be made for it amid all the O.J. hoopla and reaction stories.

But that proves the importance of the O.J. saga to this nation. When people fail to take large notice that a husband has just murdered his wife and committed suicide right down the road, something else big must have their attention.

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing during historical events but little more, as everything else is overwhelmed. Who remembers what the second biggest stories were on the days Pearl Harbor was attacked, John F. Kennedy was assassinated or Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon?

Looking back over my brief life, here are some of the historical events which stand out in my mind:

-- The resignation of Richard M. Nixon. I was about 5 at the time and was extremely perturbed because the regularly scheduled cartoons had been pre-empted on television.

As any 5-year-old would do, I filed a grievance with mom. She did her best to explain to me the complex political ramifications of the world's most powerful man being toppled from office and why it was deemed more important than cartoons by the TV gods. I decided it was simpler just to take her word for it.

Still, it was apparent that every adult walked around somewhat shell shocked. I am today certain it had nothing to do with the cancellation of cartoons that day.

-- The Challenger explosion. I was a junior in high school sitting in calculus class disinterestedly watching the shuttle launch on television. (Our teacher pretty much let us do what we liked.) Needless to say, when the shuttle went up everybody freaked.

When lunch break came minutes later, I went around telling everyone what happened. People looked at me as if I were the village idiot, most dismissing me disgustedly for -- in their view -- trying to make a joke in extremely poor taste.

That group denial, of course, didn't last long. People were quickly forced to accept that the unthinkable had indeed happened and that something that happens once can happen again.

-- The death of Kurt Cobain. Unlike the first two incidents, this one was not as sweeping in its effects on the country. To this day many people do not know or care who Cobain was. Personally, however, it served as a sad reminder of just how unhappy some people are.

I was in my car on Broadway in front of the paper when I heard on NPR that Nirvana's lead singer ate the barrel of a shotgun. While disappointed, I wasn't very surprised. Anyone who listened closely to his music very quickly figured out he was extremely screwed up.

He was a classic case of an artist who drew upon his own angst to bring new dimension to his medium, but eventually was overwhelmed by his inner pain. Proof that success doesn't necessarily lead to happiness.

What events in your lifetimes -- well known and not so well known -- stand out in your minds and why? Let me know by writing to P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702.

~Marc Powers is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.