| The Radio Broadcast That Panicked America | |||||||||
| Orson Welles' “War of The Worlds” Frightened A Nation | |||||||||
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On October 30, 1938, The Mercury Theatre, a young drama troupe under the direction of Orson Welles, performed a radio play called “War of the Worlds” on WABC, New York, and over the Columbia Broadcasting System network, coast-to-coast.
It was based on a science fiction story by H.G. Wells (no relation) which entailed Martians landing in New Jersey to take over the world. The broadcasted imagery produced through sound effects and acting was so powerful, it caused mass hysteria. Thousands of listeners panicked nationwide, not realizing it was just a radio play, even though disclaimers were announced before and during the production. How bad was it? The next day, “The New York Times” ran this headline: Radio Listeners in Panic,Taking War Drama as FactMany Flee Homes to Escape `Gas Raid From Mars'--Phone Calls Swamp Police at Broadcast of Wells Fantasy |
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United Press reported: “The federal communications commission investigated a radio program which caused thousands of persons in every part of the country to believe that the eastern United States had been invaded by creatures from the planet Mars in the first engagement of a "war of the world."
There are many interesting sources for you to relive this historic broadcast.
At WarOfTheWorlds.org you can view the original broadcast in text, download .wav files of specific portions, or stream the complete original presentation as it was heard that night.
At Earthstation1.com, there are .wav and .mp3 files to download and listen to. They are split up into segments and labeled.
- Corey Deitz
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