What if Lewis Powell's gun had fired?

[Gene C]

Taking Roger's question a few years further into the future if Powell had killed Seward?, and what impact would it have today?
Seward was the main influence in the US purchasing Alaska from Russia. We would have a different energy policy today, the cold war of the 50's & 60's with Russia would be much different if they still owned Alaska, and even WWII would have been different since the Japanese tried to get control of the Aleutian Islands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign

There is even a large Christian Broadcasting short wave radio station that broadcast to Russia and China, in their own language, located in Alaska http://www.worldchristian.org/

The simple act of a gun miss firing, and "or Powell had not panicked and simply turned the cylinder", has had a major impact in the history and outcome of the world as we currently know it. Coincidence, luck, or something more?