Today in Radio History (October 30th, 1938): Orsen Wells Causes Paranoia With "War of the Worlds"!
Jay B
On October 30th, 1938, Orson Welles' controversial Halloween radio show, "War of the Worlds" aired on broadcast radio at 8 pm. The radio show was an adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel, "The War of the Worlds". It is famous for inciting a panic amongst the listening audience that a real-life Martian invasion was taking place, as the show had a "breaking news" style storytelling technique. After the broadcast, the show received widespread outrage from the public, who gave 23-year-old Welles the reputation of an innovative storyteller and "trickster". Welles ultimately apologized for the show the next day after the broadcast, and no punitive action was taken.