On this date in 1938, the infamous radio drama of H. G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" (1898) was broadcast. The program allegedly caused a nationwide mass panic. Not quite. Though millions of Americans huddled around their radios nightly, relatively few were listening to CBS when the broadcast began. Most of the country was tuned to NBC’s popular Chase and Sanborn Hour, featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Perhaps during a commercial break, some switched to CBS. At any rate, on the heels of The Great Depression, it would not take much for some to panic. Immediately following 9/11 brought a similar sense to NYC area residents every time an airliner flew overhead.
The brilliant, all-too-realistic radio broadcast was a Halloween episode of the CBS Radio series, The Mercury Theatre on the Air, directed and narrated by Orson Welles. He converted the story into a "breaking news" style of storytelling that described a Martian invasion of—perfect location—New Jersey. Some gullible listeners may have mistook those fake bulletins for the real thing. The New York Times, not waiting for the rest of the nation to report, plastered headlines indicating the broadcast had caused a nationwide hysteria. Few in Iowa were that concerned.
Note: Working with Welles's concept, composer Bernard Herrmann conducted the live orchestra as if they were a dance band, but interrupted by news bulletins. Welles credited Herrmann's work as a major component of the production's suspense. The Mercury’s attempt to make the show believable succeeded far beyond their expectations. Above, Welles conducts the broadcast as Herrmann handles the orchestra.
