On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air sent shockwaves across America with a broadcast of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Presented as a series of simulated news bulletins, the radio play depicted a terrifying Martian invasion in real-time. Though it was purely fictional, the program’s realistic presentation, complete with urgent interruptions and authentic-sounding updates, led some listeners to believe that Earth was actually under attack.
The broadcast used innovative sound effects and the calm but increasingly frantic voices of “news reporters” to create an atmosphere of panic and suspense. Listeners tuning in late missed the introduction explaining that the show was a dramatization, and, unaware it was fiction, many were horrified by what they heard. Reports of people frantically calling police stations, barricading themselves in their homes, or fleeing their towns circulated widely, though the scale of panic may have been exaggerated in the days following the broadcast.
Still, the realistic tone and broadcast style of Welles’ The War of the Worlds struck a chord, capturing how easily mass media could influence public perception. Welles later commented that he had not anticipated such a strong reaction, but the incident made him a household name and highlighted the power of radio. This event became a cultural landmark, underlining the trust people placed in broadcast media at the time and serving as a reminder of the influence—and potential consequences—of immersive storytelling in media.
