War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds was a radio broadcast that aired on October 30, 1938. It was an adaptation of a short story by Howard Koch, which itself was based on the original work of H.G.Wells. The famed Orson Wells who starred in and directed this well-known radio production, was surprisingly, of no relation to H.G., the originator of the tale.

The production, a simulation of a news broadcast reporting that an alien invasion of planet Earth had taken place, came complete with acting and sound effects that were so real that a portion of the audience concluded they were hearing an actual news account of a real "alien" invasion from the planet Mars. It didn’t help that the play being broadcasted contained names of actual places that the listening audience recognized and to make matter even worse the program was aired the night before Halloween, which is traditionally known to be a time when people's sense are impressionable. The result was that a lot of real, live, people acting out the pretend scenario they heard on the on the radio thinking that it all was really happening. Even many people who heard the disclaimer aired at the beginning of the show disregarded it when they were faced with the fear it instilled by what they saw before their eyes as they supposed it could really be real.

The event became a national scanda and there was a “wave of hysteria,” that followed.

Believing it was real, people in their homes loaded their guns and positioned themselves strategically, ready to shoot any alien attackers that might come through their door. People ran to churches prayed for deliverance. Some people fearfully went into hiding out in the woods, others began to stockpile food. Then when it was over, the same people who had been traumatized also suffered the emotional stress of public humiliation for being so easily “fooled.”

It was a lesson for the world in the power of suggestion.