Directed and narrated by Welles, the hour-long broadcast aired Oct. 30, 1938, as a Halloween-themed episode of CBS’ radio series, Mercury Theatre on the Air.

The performance was an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds, and was delivered in such a ways as to simulate a live news report of a Martian invasion.

The faux newscast (audio embedded below) included accounts of a meteorite landing in New
Jersey, followed by descriptions of tentacled aliens emerging from spaceships, brandishing and firing weapons at humans. The broadcast caused some people to flee their homes, and telephone lines flooded with listeners trying to determine the validity of the Martian invasion.

The spectacle catapulted Welles to instant fame (and perhaps some notoriety) and is considered to have established modern radio as an artistic medium.

To commemorate the historic broadcast, students at Ball State University planned a re-creation of it Oct. 30, 2008, on Indiana Public Radio — but with a clearly stated preamble designed to prevent the kind of chaos that erupted long ago.

The original, uninterrupted broadcast is available in its entirety online.

See also:

• Oct. 30, 1938: The Martians Have Landed in New Jersey!
• Out of This World: 60 Years of Flying Saucers
• Brilliant ‘UFO’ Controlled Remotely by SMS
• Close Encounters of the Worst Kind
• Banana Squash Nerf Ball Alien Unveiled in New Video

Authors: Jenna Wortham

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