History Schmistory: October 30. Syke!
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 in History, History Schmistory, Learn!
1938: Orson Welles broadcasts an adaptation of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, performed as the Halloween episode of a radio drama series called Mercury Theatre on the Air. The first two thirds of the story is retold through a series of fake news bulletins, informing listeners that Martians have attacked the Earth and will probably kill all of us. This causes a majority of listeners to completely freak out. The hoax is basically what made Orson Welles a household name.
![By CBS Radio and photographer unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Orson-Welles-Show-1941.jpg)
By CBS Radio and photographer unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
