The document provides details about the famous 1938 radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre. It describes how the realistic portrayal of the fictional Martian invasion led some listeners to believe it was a real news broadcast, causing panic. It also discusses some of the regional reactions to the broadcast and subsequent similar radio hoaxes that have occurred over the years which also caused brief periods of public panic and confusion.

1. If you were 18 in 1938

2. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.

3. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.
• You can not remember a time without radio. Your parents
can. You probably have had a radio in your home for
most of your life.

4. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.
• You can not remember a time without radio. Your parents
can. You probably have had a radio in your home for
most of your life.
• You have lived through the worst of the Great Depression,
with 25% unemployment, industrial production decreased
by 46% and wholesale prices down 32%.

5. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.
• You can not remember a time without radio. Your parents
can. You probably have had a radio in your home for
most of your life.
• You have lived through the worst of the Great Depression,
with 25% unemployment, industrial production decreased
by 46% and wholesale prices down 32%.
• Even through these tough times, if you could, you
probably kept your radio.

6. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.
• You can not remember a time without radio. Your parents
can. You probably have had a radio in your home for
most of your life.
• You have lived through the worst of the Great Depression,
with 25% unemployment, industrial production decreased
by 46% and wholesale prices down 32%.
• Even through these tough times, if you could, you
probably kept your radio.
• Your favorite musician is probably Artie Shaw.

7. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25EgFXCmWCY
1:43

8. If you were 18 in 1938
• You were born in 1920.
• You can not remember a time without radio. Your parents
can. You probably have had a radio in your home for
most of your life.
• You have lived through the worst of the Great Depression,
with 25% unemployment, industrial production decreased
by 46% and wholesale prices down 32%.
• Even through these tough times, if you could, you
probably kept your radio.
• Your favorite musician is probably Artie Shaw.
• You hear daily reports of escalating tensions in Europe
and Asia and Africa, but you have no idea that within three
years the U.S. will be embroiled in a second World War. If
you’re male, chances are you will be fighting in this war.

9. If you were 18 in 1938
And you are very familiar with the sound of your president’s
voice.
Listen to the first 42 seconds
https://youtu.be/1WBGyPqOZwc

10. 1938
• The Japanese occupy large portions of China and
continue to advance.

11. 1938
• The Japanese occupy large portions of China and
continue to advance.
• Adolf Hitler assumes command of the German military and
occupies Austria.

12. 1938
• The Japanese occupy large portions of China and
continue to advance.
• Adolf Hitler assumes command of the German military and
occupies Austria.
• “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is released to movie
theaters.

13. 1938
• The Japanese occupy large portions of China and
continue to advance.
• Adolf Hitler assumes command of the German military and
occupies Austria.
• “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is released to movie
theaters.
• Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.

14. 1938
• The Japanese occupy large portions of China and
continue to advance.
• Adolf Hitler assumes command of the German military and
occupies Austria.
• “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is released to movie
theaters.
• Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
• Superman debuts in “Action Comics.”

15. 1938
• The New England Hurricane of 1938 kills over 600. It is
extensively covered on radio.

16. 1938
• The New England Hurricane of 1938 kills over 600. It is
extensively covered on radio.
• Germany invades Czechoslovakia.

17. 1938
• June 16: Several buildings are hit by meteorites in
Pantar, Philippians.
• June 29: A 450-ton meteorite explodes about
12 miles above the earth near Chicora, Pennsylvania.
• September 29: a meteorite crashes through the roof
of a garage and through a parked car in Benld, IL.

18. In 1938
• The most popular radio show is, improbably, one featuring
a ventriloquist and his wooden dummy - “The Chase and
Sandborn Hour” with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/chase-sandborn-1
3:27

19. By 1938
Orson Welles has taken Broadway by storm with a series of
innovative and imaginative theater productions.

20. By 1938
And has been featured on the cover of “Time” magazine.

21. By 1938
His theatrical achievements include a modern dress “Julius
Caesar” set in Fascist Italy, and a federally sponsored
production of “Macbeth,” set in Haiti, and with an all African-
American cast.
Watch Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth https://youtu.be/QZLrqJka-EU
4:00

22. By 1938
He is also one of radio’s busiest performers …
1:34
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/shadow

23. In 1938
For the Halloween
episode of Mercury
Theatre on the Air,
Welles instructed writer
Howard Koch to adapt
H.G. Well’s classic “The
War of the Worlds,”
about an invasion of the
earth by Martians.
Welles thought it might
be enlivened were it
updated and told as a
series of news bulletins.

24. October 30, 1938
At 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, “The Chase and
Sandborn Show with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy”
began on NBC, and The Mercury Theatre on the Air began
on CBS.

25. October 30, 1938
Chase and Sandborn” had an average listenership of 34.7%;
“The Mercury” 3.6%.

26. October 30, 1938
So, a lot of listeners were hearing this …
Don Ameche
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/chase-sandborn
:30

27. October 30, 1938
A perhaps more discriminating audience was listening to this …
4:30
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-001

28. October 30, 1938
At 8:09 PM, following musical performances interrupted
by an interview of noted Princeton astronomer
Professor Pierson by reporter Carl Phillips regarding the
Martian explosions, the program returned to music.
1:25
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-002

29. October 30, 1938
By 8:11 PM, reporter Carl Phillips and Professor Pierson
reach Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. It’s been less than two
minutes of air time; Phillips mentions that they have
made the trip in 10 minutes, exemplifying the dramatic
time compression of the program.
4:05
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-003

30. October 30, 1938
At 8:15, on NBC, Edgar Bergen was ending a comic
segment and Dorothy Lamour was being introduced for
a song …
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/chase-and-sandborn-815
1:02

31. October 30, 1938
Were a listener to decide at this point to scan the dial for
something more interesting, they would have entered
“The War of the Worlds” at this point.
3:40
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-004

32. October 30, 1938
Listeners could not be blamed for perhaps remembering
another tragedy described over radio only the year
before. After all, the actor portraying Carl Phillips had
listened to a recording of the broadcast dozens of times
preparing for his role.
The Hindenburg Disaster
Listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54rqDh2mWA
1:15

33. October 30, 1938
After another musical pause, the bulletins continue at
8:19. By now, it has been estimated that the Mercury’s
audience has doubled to six million listeners.
:50
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-005

34. October 30, 1938
Following an interview with Professor Pierson, bulletins
continue at 8:22.
1:20
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-006

35. October 30, 1938
At 8:25, the unbelievable is reported as fact.
1:00
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-7a

36. October 30, 1938
At 8:26, a familiar voice is heard.
1:25
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-008

37. October 30, 1938
By 8:36, the military has been utterly defeated, and
the Martian machines are advancing on New York
City.
4:40
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-009

38. October 30, 1938
The program continues in a more standard format,
with the rest of the story told in the first person
singular by Professor Pierson.

39. October 30, 1938
It is estimated that 6 million people listened to some
part of the broadcast, and that 1.2 million believed the
broadcast and reacted according to their natures and
personalities.

40. October 30, 1938
• Harlem: An church congregation falls to its knees.
• Indianapolis: A woman runs into a church service
screaming that New York has been destroyed.
• Newark: Neighbors leave their homes with
improvised gas masks - wet towels wrapped around
their heads.
• Grover’s Mill: A water tower is mistaken for a Martian
war machine and fired upon.
• Premature births, falls, attempted suicides, traffic
jams and communication breakdowns are blamed on
the broadcast.

41. October 30, 1938
DISCLAIMER
1:20
Listen to https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/war-of-the-worlds-end

42. October 31, 1938
Watch Attack-By-Mars--Panic--Orson-Wells-Speaks-1938-10-31
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_9XTnlJKM
1:30

43. October 31, 1938

44. October 31, 1938
The actual number of listeners, and
the full extent of the hysteria, have
never been accurately confirmed.
Contemporaneous studies are
potentially flawed. Newspapers,
facing new competition from radio,
may have exaggerated the effect of
the broadcast. However from time to
time the events of October 30, 1938
are replicated.

45. November 12, 1944
A widespread panic is triggered following a broadcast of the Welles play by a Santiago,
Chile radio station. Upon hearing the broadcast, many fled into the streets or barricaded
themselves in their homes. In one province, troops and artillery were briefly mobilized by
the governor in a bid to repel the invading Martians. The broadcast included references to
such organizations as the Red Cross and used an actor to impersonate the interior minister.
http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/war_worlds_santiago.htm

46. February 12, 1949
Another radio version of “The War of the Worlds,” broadcast in Quito, Ecuador,
results in crowds of panic-stricken residents running into the streets to escape
Martian gas raids. The event makes headlines around the world, including the
front page of The New York Times ("Mars Raiders Caused Quito Panic; Mob
Burns Radio Plant, Kills 15”). The drama described strange Martian creatures
heading toward the city after landing and destroying a neighboring community.
The program included impersonations of well-known local politicians and
journalists. A riot broke out and an enraged mob set fire to the radio station,
killing at least six people.
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91624-could-it-happen-again-and-again/
http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/war_worlds_quito.htm

47. 1968
WKBW-AM in Buffalo, New York uses its staff of reporters and disc jockies to recreate
“The War of the Worlds,” with up-to-date techniques and music. Although clearly and
regularly identified as a dramatization, a local newspaper, several small-town police
officers and the Canadian military are convinced. The station repeated the reenactment in
1971, 1973 and 1975.
WKBW's 1968 War of the Worlds https://youtu.be/8zzEGD1ESr8
http://www.buffalohistoryworks.com/broadcasters/hist_kbwow.asp

48. 1974
WPRO-FM in Rhode Island recreates “The War of the Worlds.” The program is promoted
as a spoof throughout the day. During the actual broadcast, however, 45 minutes elapse
before the first public disclaimer. Over 100 listeners call the radio station and almost as
many call the police. The FCC reprimand WPRO, the first time the commission has gone
on record that programing such as “War of the Worlds” is adverse to the public interest.
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20141030/ENTERTAINMENT/310309989

49. 1977
The television program Alternative 3 is broadcast once only in the United
Kingdom, and later in Australia and New Zealand A fictional hoax, the
program purported to be an investigation uncovering a plan to make the
moon and Mars habitable in the event of climate change and a terminal
environmental catastrophe on Earth. The program was originally meant to
be broadcast on April Fools Day, 1977. To this day there are some that
refuse to believe the program was fictional.
http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/alternative3
Alternative 3 1977 https://youtu.be/jSDBl0FMX0s

50. 1990s
A spate of media hoaxes perpetrated across the country prompt the Federal
Communications Commission to impose fines of up to $250,000 for stations knowingly
broadcasting false information.
KSLX-FM, Scottsdale, Arizona fakes a hostage takeover of the station by terrorists.
WCCC-AM/FM, Hartford, Connecticut, falsely reports a nearby volcanic eruption.
KSHE, St. Louis morning personality John Ulett stages a mock nuclear alert during the
morning drive time, complete with a simulated Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) tone
and an authentic-sounding civil defense warning. There was no disclaimer until 2 hours
after the broadcast. 400 listeners called the station.
KROQ, Los Angeles morning team stages a false confession from an anonymous caller
who claims to have brutally murdered his girlfriend. Police spent nearly 150 hours
investigating the case.
WALE, Rhode Island news director announces that the overnight on-air personality had
been shot in the head. Police and media rushed to investigate the incident. The program
director shuts off the transmitter to stop the hoax.
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-05-20/entertainment/ca-1596_1_radio-hoaxes/2
http://tinyurl.com/hcwu5e7

51. 1990s
1992 FCC Anti-Hoax Rule
No licensee or permittee of any broadcast station shall broadcast false information
concerning a crime or catastrophe if (a) the licensee knows this information is false, (b) it
is foreseeable that broadcasting the information will cause substantial public harm. Any
programming accompanied by a disclaimer will be presumed not to pose foreseeable harm
if the disclaimer clearly characterizes the program as fiction and is presented in a way that
is reasonable under the circumstances (amendment to Part 73 Regarding Broadcast
Hoaxes, Communications Act, Report and Order, 7FCCRcd4106 [1992]).

52. 1990s
Ghostwatch, 1992
BBC's Ghostwatch, presented by Michael Parkinson and broadcast on
Halloween, was so convincing in its depiction of ghouls that it was later
reported that two children viewers had been diagnosed with post-
traumatic stress disorder and one teenager had committed suicide. Sarah
Greene and Craig Charles reported from a reputedly haunted London
house for the broadcast. A series of eerie events grew more sinister until
viewers were left to believe that Greene had been killed and Parkinson
possessed by a ghost called Pipes.
Ghostwatch https://youtu.be/Yfy9UHAIwgQ

53. 2000s
Flemish Independence, 2006
Belgian politicians were furious after it was reported the country had split in two and the
Flemish part had declared independence. The French-speaking channel RTBF interrupted
programming with a spoof report showing "live" pictures of crowds with Flemish flags,
trams being stopped at the new border and the royal family seeming to flee the country.
"It's irresponsible for a public television channel to announce the end of Belgium as a
reality," said a spokesman for the then Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt.
http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/flemish_secession_hoax

54. March 14, 2010
Panic sweeps Georgia after a pilot for a proposed television show airs using stock
footage and faked commentary to report an invasion from Russia .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/14/russia-georgia-fake-invasion-report
Fake Russian invasion broadcast sparks Georgian panic https://youtu.be/s9RLqH4Z4UA

55. So, which are deceptions and which
are attempts at verisimilitude? And
does that matter?

56. A History and Analysis of the Federal Communications Commission’s Response to
Radio Broadcast
Hoaxeshttp://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1226
&context=fclj

57. A Bonus Extra
“Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiningen_Versus_the_Ants
https://archive.org/details/Escape480114LeiningenVsTheAnts

58. “Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948 Clip # 1
William Conrad
https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/leiningen-edit-parta
3:35

59. “Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948 Clip # 2
https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/leiningen-edit-partb
2:07

60. “Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948 Clip # 3
https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/leiningen-edit-partc
1:10

61. “Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948 Clip # 4
https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/leiningen-edit-partd
7:05

62. “Leiningen Vs. the Ants”
Escape, 1948 Clip # 5
https://soundcloud.com/enbowen/leiningen-edit-parte
:36