Panic in the Streets: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

Carter Roy (0:07)

It's 1938 23-year-old Orson Welles is probably sitting at his desk, and he's definitely worried. Despite his young age, he's a bonafide celebrity. He was just on the cover of Time magazine, and is the director, co-writer, and star of his own radio program, the Mercury Theater on the Air.

Orson doesn't feel confidence about their next episode, though. They're adapting the sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds into a radio play. Sure, it's about an alien invasion. That's fun. But what if it's not exciting enough? It needs something. Then he gets an idea.

What if they format the show like a news broadcast? They can even use sound effects to make it seem as though real aliens are right there in people's living rooms, like they're really invading Earth. That would be exciting. He and his crew get right to work, and on the night before Halloween, their version of War of the Worlds airs. According to legend, something goes horribly wrong. The broadcast is so realistic that people believe it. Millions of Americans take to the streets panicking. As far as they know, Martians are about to kill them all.

When the accidental hoax is revealed to be just a radio play, the newspapers detail the aftermath. Allegedly, people were so scared that some died from heart attacks.

Orson and his team are convinced that they're murderers. The paper journalists likely agree, lamenting Orson and the entire medium of radio. They say it has a responsibility to be honest, not trick the public into believing a lie.

And that's the thing. They're right. The media shouldn't fool anyone, but it turns out that Orson Welles may not actually have been the deceitful one. Contemporary reports suggest that the real hoax was the panic itself. The infamous chaos may have actually been invented as part of a conspiracy, one that sought to bring down radio, orchestrated by the institution we should be able to trust the most.

The news.

Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. New episodes come out every Wednesday. It's October, and that means for the next month, we'll be investigating the truth behind four of the eeriest conspiracies out there. We would love to hear from you, so if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Or check us out on Instagram at the Conspiracy Pod. This episode contains discussions of suicide and death. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, visit spotify.com/resources.

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October 30th, 1938 It's a little after 8 p.m. A family sits around their radio. Perhaps they're looking to take a break from a newfound fear. The brink of war. It's what all the news stations are talking about. Hitler's Germany has just taken control of Sudetenland. Winston Churchill even told Americans to get ready. Maybe they'll be next. So this family puts on the trusted radio channel Columbia Broadcasting System, more commonly known as CBS. A radio has recently become the main source of entertainment for many Americans. It's often the centerpiece of their living rooms. It airs soap operas, comedy and game shows, and of course, music. Tonight, CBS is recording live from Hotel Park Plaza in New York. An orchestra plays a lovely instrumental Spanish ballad until the broadcast is interrupted by an urgent news report. A news anchor describes gas explosions on Mars, according to their sources at Princeton University. The gas is heading toward Earth. It's alarming, but there's not too much cause for concern. Yet, the broadcast cuts back to the concert as normal, until it's interrupted again. By more breaking news, an earthquake has rattled New Jersey, perhaps caused by a meteorite. After a brief explanation, CBS goes back to the concert. Oh, wait, no, not that fast. Another report comes in. In the small town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey, a metal cylinder is found in a crater. As police arrive at the scene, the metal object opens. The reporter describes a being similar to a gray snake slithering out of the ship. It's a Martian, large as a bear, with black gleaming eyes. It then launches a jet of flame. People scream as the aliens ignite the trees and cars around them. The flames approach the news anchor, who screams in terrified agony before the urgent report cuts off.