Key Takeaways
- The 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio drama caused panic among some listeners.
- Radio's immersive nature and blurred news-drama lines contributed to the broadcast's impact.
- Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre faced an FCC investigation after the broadcast.
- Fictional Martian invaders were ultimately defeated by Earth bacteria, not human defenses.
Deep Dive
- On October 30, 1938, John and Estelle Pultz of New York City heard a simulated news report of a strange object crashing in New Jersey.
- Estelle Pultz believed an invasion was occurring, leading to panic among passengers on their train, who mistook the broadcast for real news.
- Many listeners believed Orson Welles' fictional Martian invasion of New Jersey was real, reportedly leading to widespread panic.
- Historian A. Brad Schwartz suggests the panic was largely exaggerated, with most understanding its fictional nature.
- However, the reaction to the perceived panic was real, leading to an FCC investigation and a press conference for Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre.
- In early to mid-20th century America, radio was a significant source for both news and entertainment, becoming a vital tool during the Great Depression.
- The medium's capacity for live reporting, exemplified by events like the Charles Lindbergh Jr. kidnapping, blurred lines between factual news and reenactment.
- Prevalent breaking news interruptions and the recent Munich Agreement, which made invasion scenarios a contemporary reality, further shaped public perception.
- In 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater adapted H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" for radio, setting the fictional invasion in New Jersey and New York.
- The script, crafted by Howard Koch, introduced the premise of Earth being observed by superior, unsympathetic intelligences.
- The broadcast began with a musical introduction before Welles' narrative, quickly establishing a realistic tone.
- The radio play utilized a simulated news bulletin format, interrupting a dance music program to report "explosions on Mars."
- Reporter Carl Phillips, interviewing astronomer Professor Richard Pearson in Princeton, New Jersey, covered a meteorite crash in Grover's Mill, New Jersey.
- Phillips vividly described a chaotic scene at the crash site, detailing a strange, mechanical, alien object with luminous eyes emerging from the pit.
- The radio play depicted Martians using heat rays and black smoke against military forces in Grover's Mill, rendering the army "wiped out."
- The broadcast announced the fictional death of reporter Carl Phillips and claimed 7,000 men were killed by Martian war machines.
- A simulated Secretary of the Interior urged calm, while New York City began evacuation amidst reports of spreading black smoke.
- Professor Richard Pearson's diary recounted his survival near Grover's Mill and his fear of being the last person, later encountering a National Guardsman.
- Survivors discussed plans to create safe underground spaces like cellars and subways, gather science books, and raid museums.
- An 'artilleryman' proposed a hypothetical plan for humans to operate Martian fighting machines for world domination.
- The fictional Martians were ultimately destroyed by Earth bacteria, not human defenses, offering humanity a reprieve.
- CBS executive Davidson Taylor attempted to halt the broadcast due to overwhelming calls and mass hysteria reports, but producer Jack Hausman allowed it to conclude.
- Orson Welles, out of character, reassured listeners it was a Halloween play, urging them to remember the lesson of being fooled by entertainment.