Dateline: October 1995
THE BIG STORYFormer American football star turned Hollywood actor O J Simpson, who was in court charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, was found not guilt
y by a jury.
The televised trial lasted more than a year, Simpson having been arrested in June of 2004, just a day after attending his ex-wife's funeral.
It was a dramatic trial watched by millions around the world and made household names of protagonists, including Judge Lance Ito, Detective Mark Fuhrman and charismatic defence lawyer Johnnie Cochran, who died from a brain tumour aged 67 in 2005.
Simpson had previously appeared alongside actor Leslie Nielsen in Naked Gun 33 1/3. His acquittal came as a shock to many commentators, who had considered the evidence against him overwhelming.
In 2007, Simpson tried to publish a book under the title If I Did It, which was pulled by publishers at the last minute.
HEADLINESRosemary West, 41, widow of mass murderer Fred West, went on trial accused of murdering 10 young women at Winchester Crown Court, among them their eldest daughter Heather, 16, who disappeared in 1987. She was convicted and could be released in 2019.
Actor Bill Maynard, pictured right, better known for his on-screen portrayal of character Greengrass on ITV's Heartbeat, dropped into the West Riding bar, Dewsbury, as part of his new series Maynard's Bill, in which he chatted to landlords, bands and pub regulars.
Boozers at Harehills WMC were named top tipplers after drinking their way through £1m worth of bitter. Club Secretary John O'Neill put the success down to an aggressive price slashing policy which meant a pint of bitter cost 91p and a pint of Websters 84p.
Leeds nightclub Planet Earth in City Square staged a kinky theme night with exotic male and female dancers clad in body-hugging rubber outfits.
A two-bed semi-detached house in Grove Farm Crescent, Cookridge was on the market for £49,950, while a three-bed semi in Queenswood Close, LS6 cost £48,950.
A controversial play about the Yorkshire Ripper was condemned as sick and obscene. Jacknife was written by David Bromley and Gifford Rolfe and featured a fictional character based on Peter Sutcliffe. It was condemned by relatives of Ripper victims after it was shown at the Edinburgh Festival.
Police in Leeds took to two wheels for the first time in Killingbeck. Police chiefs said they would enable officers to track criminals down narrow alleys, roads and go off road.
A ceremony was held in Morley to mark the centenary of the opening of the town hall, on October 16, by Herbert Henry Asquith, born in Church Street, 1852, who later became Prime Minister.
THE GOSSIPLiz Hurley was rumoured to be on the verge of joining British TV soap Brookside; football star Gary Lineker was being urged to end his relationship with Walkers crisps because of a union dispute between the company and the GMB; people refused to "believe it" when a Sunday paper reported grumpy old man Victor Meldrew was to be killed off in a Christmas TV special... the character managed to live on until 2000, when he was killed by a hit and run driver.
Yorkshire band Smokie hit the headlines after their re-working of Living Next Door To Alice was banned by a pub chain. Foul-mouthed comedian Roy Chubby Brown 'featured' on the track.
THE WORLDBill Gates, who founded Microsoft, was the world's richest man, with a fortune of $14.8bn (he has $58bn today). Chatshow host Oprah Winfrey was the world's richest woman with a paltry $340m (compared to $2.7bn today).
On October 17, French woman Jeanne Calment died aged 120 years and 238 days, making her the oldest person ever recorded.
Pop legend Bono revealed how opera star Pavarotti begged him to write a song, which he finally did. It was called Passengers and was about a beauty contest in Sarajevo.
AND FINALLYFour likely lads from Leeds completed the mother of all pub crawls after they visited every single pub in the city... all 615 of them. Ian Bradley, Darren Jewison, Brian Booth and Richard Foster started their mammoth pub crawl in July 1993 at the Duck & Drake... and finished it two years later at the same pub. Whilst sipping a coffee, Ian commented: "We enjoyed it but we are glad it's over."
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