War of the Worlds Broadcast: Orson Welles Panics U.S.
Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds on CBS on October 30, 1938, using a simulated news bulletin format so convincing that some listeners believed Martians had actually landed in New Jersey. The show opened with dance music that was 'interrupted' by increasingly urgent news flashes describing alien tripods destroying towns. Listeners who tuned in late missed the disclaimer. Reports of mass panic were exaggerated by newspapers that saw an opportunity to discredit radio as a news medium, but genuine frightened calls flooded police stations. Welles, 23 years old, apologized publicly but privately relished the publicity. The incident led CBS to ban realistic news simulation formats and demonstrated radio's power to blur fiction and reality. Welles parlayed the fame into a Hollywood contract that produced Citizen Kane.
October 30, 1938
88 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 30
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