War Of The Worlds Radio Broadcast

Orson Welles (1938)

What happened?

On Halloween night (in 1938) Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater broadcasted a dramatization of H.G. Wells' famous tale "War of the Worlds" which recounted a Martians invasion of the Earth. The adaptation includes realistic radio news bulletins informing listeners of the developing saga. A music program was interrupted to brief listeners that an alien object had landed in Grover's Mill, N.J. "News Announcers" describe the terrifying events as they unfold.

Although Wells informed listeners at the start of the program that they were listing to a fictional radio drama, thousands of listeners who tuned in late believed the Earth was indeed under alien attack and panic soon followed.

Wells claimed that the broadcast was never intended to fool people but wished to present a great Halloween tale. It was, he said, "the Mercury Theater's own radio version of dressing upon a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying 'boo!'" In either case it indeed turned out to be the greatest Halloween story ever told.

This whole episode tries to illustrate a number of things about mass psychology, but also about the willingness of people in the nineteen thirties to believe that we are not alone in the universe.

We have prepared a few short audio excerpts of the program for you to listen to. As you do, take a moment to wonder how you would have perceived this had you tuned in the middle of the broadcast. Were the folks of your grandparents era exceptionally gullible, or was Orson Welles just an exceptional showman? Or both?

Click below to hear these excerpts.

CLICK here to read the book! (TEXT)

There's been an explosion on Mars

A "meteorite" has landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey!

Something's crawling out of the "meteorite"...

... and shooting flames!