1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History class from how 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: I'm Debling a chokerate boarding and I'm fair at out 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: and nowadays, at least in terms of the Internet, we're 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: all pretty used to, maybe even desensitized to the idea 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: of the news hoax, those bits of information that are 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: passed off as real news. I mean we can probably 8 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: all think of some examples of them. I think, you know, 9 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: there's always those out there about celebrities who've died when 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: really they haven't. And we do one of our own 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 1: every year, don't we. We do. We have an annual 12 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: April fools Day article, which is kind of a staff favorite, 13 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: I would say, picking out what it's going to be, 14 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,599 Speaker 1: somebody gets to write it, and then um, I sit 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: next to tech Stuff Jonathan Strickland and he's written a 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: few of them before, and usually April Fool's Day, you 17 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: can hear him trying to judge if the articles passed 18 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: off is real anywhere, and which which news sites are 19 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: running it as it as a real story. But it's 20 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: always kind of fun just to help this fake out article. 21 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,119 Speaker 1: It's usually something pretty outlandish like animated tattoos or green 22 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: Air Force one or or something that is a little 23 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: bit plausible, but not so much if you if you 24 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: think about it for a while, especially if example Fools Day, 25 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: so someone might be in danger of falling for one 26 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: of those. But we're usually not in danger of falling 27 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: for these Internet hoaxes because they're not coming from so 28 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: called legitimate news sources. Most of the time. A lot 29 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: of times they're passed along through social media, or you 30 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: get an email that looks like it's made to look 31 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: like a news article that was forwarded to you or 32 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: something like that. But what if these are actually proliferated 33 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: through what we consider to be legitimate media, So you 34 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: read it on a on a newspaper website that you 35 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: respect and read frequently, or or see it on a 36 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: news channel exactly, or hear it on the radio, And 37 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: that's kind of what happened in the situation we're about 38 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: to discuss, though it might not have been intended. As 39 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: to the ninety eight War of the World's broadcast has 40 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: been called the greatest hoaks in the history of broadcasting. 41 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: And you could call it the greatest I guess because 42 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: so many people believed it The broadcast was an original 43 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: play based on H. G. Wells War of the World, 44 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: a science fiction novel about a Martian invasion of the Earth, 45 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 1: but enough people thought it was real that it caused 46 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: mass panic, and for that reason, the situation has been 47 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: a case study for sociologists and psychologists and for media critics, 48 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: who cite it as an example of the power of 49 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: the media. But what made it so realistic in the 50 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: first place, and why did so many people believe it, 51 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: Especially since the broadcast was labeled upfront as fiction. They 52 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: weren't trying to fool anybody, or at least it seems 53 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: that way. So we're going to go into all of that, 54 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: and we'll also want to take a look at the 55 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: brains behind the broadcast, in particular Orson Wells. He's probably 56 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: best known for his work on Citizen Kane, one of 57 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: the most influential films of all time, but many people 58 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: say that this radio broadcast is what made Hollywood take 59 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: note of him in the first place, how he really 60 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: got his start. So we're going to start with him. 61 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: George Orson Wells was born May sixth, nineteen fifteen, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, 62 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: into an upper middle class family. He was the second 63 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: son of Richard Wells, a successful inventor, and Beatrice Wells, 64 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: who was an accomplished pianist. And Orson is said to 65 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: have been pretty precocious while he was growing up, and 66 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: something of a child prodigy too. He was reading and 67 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: writing Shakespeare at age three, and at age five he 68 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: had walk on roles at the Chicago Opera. Pretty impressive, 69 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: but things in his life started to shake up a 70 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: little bit when he was around six years old. That's 71 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: when his parents separated, and when he was nine years old, 72 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: his mother got hepatitis and died, and after that he 73 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: traveled the world with his father a couple of times. 74 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: He went to Africa and Europe and Asia, but in 75 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty his father passed away too and that left him. 76 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: That left Orson Wells and orphan at age fifteen, so 77 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: he studied at the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois, 78 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: where he was pretty mediocre student in general, even though 79 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: he showed great interest in studying drama, so he graduated 80 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: at sixteen. He wanted to go to work in theater, 81 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: but he couldn't really break in right away, so instead 82 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: he studied at the Art Institute in Chicago for a 83 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: while and even worked as a reporter briefly, which seems 84 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,799 Speaker 1: to be everybody's job when they a lot of reporter 85 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: openings back then another aren't now. In nine thirty one, though, 86 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: he kind of went off on a different path. He 87 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: went to Ireland and that fall he found theater work 88 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: in Dublin with the Gate Theater. He remained there for 89 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: about a year and then did a tour of Spain 90 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 1: and Morocco before finally heading back to Chicago. And when 91 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: he got back there, he joined Catherine Cornell's company, Theater 92 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: Company in nineteen thirty three and stayed with her until 93 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: about nineteen thirty four. Then he finally made it to 94 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: New York, which is where he wanted to go, and 95 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: he made his Broadway debut in nineteen thirty four in 96 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: Romeo and Juliet. But while he was getting the supporting 97 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: roles on stage, Orson sought out radio work to make 98 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: ends meet. Yeah, and soon he really made a name 99 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: for himself doing these dramatic radio performances, and he narrated 100 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: a new series called The March of Time for two years, 101 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: and in ninety seven he became famous as the voice 102 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: of a mysterious crime fighter on the radio show The 103 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: Shadow and Evil. He knows what evil lurks in the 104 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: heart of men. Yeah, I mean or some Wells. He 105 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: has a great voice. But as a result of the Depression, 106 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: Wells had also become involved in the Federal Theater Project, 107 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: which was part of the New Deal's Works Progress administration, 108 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: and through that he started working with a guy named 109 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: John Houseman, and together they worked on a couple of 110 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: avant garde productions, including a production of Macbeth with an 111 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: all African American cast and um. Their partnership continued and 112 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: developed into a pretty interesting one. Yeah. Nineteen thirty seven, 113 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: Wells and Houseman formed the Mercury Theater with only a 114 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 1: hundred dollars in capital to start with. They had a 115 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: few stage hits, and then in the summer of eight 116 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: they made a deal with CBS to produce weekly radio 117 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: dramas with the Mercury Theater cast, and they called themselves 118 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,479 Speaker 1: a Mercury Theater on the Air. The program was initially 119 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: called First Person Singular, but I don't think that's stuck. 120 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: Kind like Mercury Theater in the Air. Better, definitely more dramatic, 121 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: but they were originally slated to run nine to ten weeks, 122 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 1: and the Mercury Theater broadcasts included adaptations of Dracula, a 123 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,119 Speaker 1: Tale of two Cities around the world in eighty days, 124 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: so famous works. And the broadcasts were done in first 125 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: person narrative, and they incorporated things like stream of consciousness, 126 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: diaries and letters, and they also used sound effects and 127 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: music in an innovative way. Despite all that innovation, though, 128 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: the ratings weren't all that great at first, but the 129 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:46,799 Speaker 1: show scheduled for October thirtieth ninety eight, the Halloween show, 130 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: War of the World was really about to change the 131 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: fate of this radio company entirely so. According to many sources, 132 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: including Richard Cavendish in History Today, Howard Kotch, who was 133 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 1: the primary on the script of this adaptation of War 134 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: of the World's privately thought that H. G. Wells book, 135 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: which was published back in was pretty dated and pretty 136 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: boring actually, and Orthan, Wells and Houseman and Cotch all 137 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: wanted to figure out how to spice it up a 138 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: little bit, make it compelling for the for the radio 139 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: format especially. Yeah, it's hard to think of a classic 140 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: work like War the World's needing any work but apparently 141 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: it did in this instance, and so Cotch worked on 142 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: a script for this and he banged it out in 143 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: six days. Now, we're going to stop for a second 144 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: here and tell you a little bit about the story 145 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: in case you don't know War of the Worlds, and 146 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: you can see then the differences between the script change 147 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: the original story. Right, So the original story took place 148 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: in England, but Kotch changed the setting to grow Over Mills, 149 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: which is a village in central New Jersey. And this 150 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: the idea behind this was to bring the spookiness of 151 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: the Martian invasion closer to home for the American listening audience. 152 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: He also presented H. G. Wells story as a series 153 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: of increasingly alarming news bulletins that start by reporting a 154 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: meteorite landing in New Jersey. Now, the news bulletins is 155 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: kind of like the key to the whole thing of 156 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: definitely why this hoax worked, and a lot of people 157 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: think that it was Orson's idea. We're not sure about that, 158 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: but just putting that out there. The meteorite turns out 159 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: to be this extraterrestrial capsule that opens up to reveal 160 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: terrifying creatures that burned by standards to death with heat rays. Yeah, 161 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: and then there's another twist that the capsule later reveals 162 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: a giant machine that starts reaking havoc in New Jersey 163 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: and New York. And as the news bulletins report more 164 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: and more Martian landings all over the country, the situation 165 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: quickly escalates into total war. Still though, when the script 166 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: was finished, I mean, it sounds like a pretty pretty 167 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: cool story, and we know the history of it now, 168 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: But when the script was done, everyone involved thought it 169 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: was still pretty silly and dull. Yeah. According to an 170 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: article by James Narramore in the journal Humanities, Orson almost 171 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: withdrew the project at the last minute in favor of 172 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: an adaptation of Laurena doone. But they went on a 173 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: scheduled at eight pm on October and by eight thirty 174 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 1: members of the Mercury Theater on the air were surprised 175 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: to find out that some people actually thought the story 176 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: was real. So let's look back now and try to 177 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: understand the panic that came from this radio drama. So, 178 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: looking back on some of the more extreme reactions to 179 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: the broadcast that we're going to talk about later, most 180 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: sources describe it as a quote panic or a math hysteria. 181 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: So what really happened here, Well, people basically started acting 182 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: really irrationally. They were trying to flee to their cars. 183 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: They were going to warn neighbors and people in churches 184 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: that the world was ending. So traffic was jammed and 185 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: communication systems were jammed because so many people were trying 186 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: to call the police and the radio stations to find 187 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: out what, what should we do? Where should we go? 188 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,599 Speaker 1: And we have a few examples here of things that 189 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: the New York Times reported the next day, just to 190 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: kind of give you a play by play of things 191 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: that a really happened, or at least were reported to 192 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 1: have happened. For one thing, at least a score of 193 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 1: adults required medical treatment for shock and hysteria. Yeah, And 194 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 1: in Newark, a single block at Head and Terriff and 195 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: Hawthorne Avenue, more than twenty families rushed out of their 196 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: homes with wet handkerchiefs and towels over their faces to 197 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: flee from what they thought was a gas raid. And 198 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: some of them even began moving household furniture. I don't 199 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: know if they were trying to save it or blockade 200 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: their houses or just do something. And just to clarify, 201 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: people were worried about a gas raid because of the 202 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: giant machine Sarah mentioned before was supposed to be spring 203 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: poison gas in the story on the radio, so they 204 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: thought that they had to protect themselves. The switchboard of 205 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: the New York Times was overwhelmed by about eight hundred 206 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: and seventy five calls. A man who called from Dayton, Ohio, asked, quote, 207 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: what time will it be the end of the world. 208 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: With so many of these calls coming into the newspapers, 209 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 1: a lot of papers found it advisable to follow up 210 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: on them and see if there was any truth to 211 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: reports despite the fantastic content. So finally the Associated Press 212 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: decided to send out the following bulletin at eight forty 213 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: eight pm. And here here it goes note to editors 214 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: queries to newspapers from radio listeners throughout the United States 215 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: tonight regarding reported meteor fall which killed a number of 216 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:24,679 Speaker 1: New Jersey it its are the result of a studio dramatization. 217 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,199 Speaker 1: The a P and then the police stations also had 218 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,559 Speaker 1: to issue statements so that the officers knew what was 219 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: going on. So here's an example of what the New 220 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: Jersey State Police put out they teletyped the following quote 221 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: note to all receivers w ABC broadcast as drama regarding 222 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: the section being attacked by residents of Mars period imaginary 223 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: affair period end quote. It's it's brief and to the point, 224 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: and I like the addition of the imaginary fair at 225 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: the end. But just to make sure, just to make sure, guys, 226 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: this is not for real. But it's sort of hard 227 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: to tell exactly how many people were part of this 228 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: so called mass panic. The New York Times made reference 229 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: to thousands of people, and a lot of sources make 230 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: a reference to the generic millions. And you'll see estimates 231 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: that about half of the six million people who heard 232 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: the broadcast believed it was true, and about half of 233 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,599 Speaker 1: those people actually panicked. So that leaves us with approximately 234 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 1: one point two million people. But not everyone thinks the 235 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: numbers were really that high. That's true. Some experts believed 236 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: that these inflated numbers are the result of just a 237 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 1: lot of hype. In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Michael 238 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: Sucklau wrote that quote, the panic was neither widespread nor 239 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: as serious as many have believed at the time or since. 240 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 1: I mean, nobody died, nobody was killed or committed suicide, 241 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,320 Speaker 1: so there weren't those results from it. But he says 242 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: that our perception could be the result of a couple 243 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: of things. For one thing, it could be just the 244 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: media loving and really just making a big deal out 245 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: of the story. You know, it was a story that 246 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people wanted to read and they put 247 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,560 Speaker 1: it out there. Another possibility is that it was just 248 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:10,679 Speaker 1: inaccurate reporting on the part of survey respondence. A lot 249 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: of people were surveyed after the fact to kind of 250 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: study the situation and find out what really happened. So 251 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: whatsuckle I was saying here is that people after the 252 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: fact may have claimed that they heard the broadcast when 253 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: they actually didn't. They might have just seen their neighbor 254 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 1: panicking and done the same yeah, or heard the story 255 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 1: and decided to pass it along. Um, maybe they just 256 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: wanted to feel part of it. Well, So, regardless of 257 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: how many people did panic, the fact remains that a 258 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: lot of people really did believe that the War of 259 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: the World's broadcast was real. But why did they believe that? 260 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: Why would people believe this story about a Martian invasion 261 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: just because they heard it on the radio. That question 262 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: is especially pertinent since the program started out with a 263 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: very clear introduction, this is how it this is how 264 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 1: it went orson Wells and the Mercury Theater on Air 265 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: presents the Are of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, 266 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: And to add to that, a couple of times in 267 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 1: the middle of the broadcast they say you're listening to 268 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 1: an original dramatization by Mercury Theater on the Air of 269 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: War of the Worlds by H. G. Well So it 270 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: seems like if you caught one of those parts it 271 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: would be pretty clear that it was it was fiction. 272 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: But there are a few theories as to why people 273 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: thought that this was real. The first theory posits that 274 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: people just came into the program too late and didn't 275 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: hear that opening line. So, as we mentioned, ratings for 276 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: the Mercury Theater on the Air weren't that great at 277 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: the time. In their time slot, they had to compete 278 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: with the more popular Chase and Sandborn Hour on NBC. 279 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: So after that opening line of this broadcast, the broadcast 280 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 1: shifts to a weather report that transitions into a music 281 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: program uh performance of Raymond Roquello and his Orchestra, So 282 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: you're listening to the seemingly normal radio program for a 283 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: good couple of minutes before the first news interruption about 284 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: gas eruptions on Mars actually occur. Hers. So the theory 285 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:05,120 Speaker 1: is that this news interruption was timed, perhaps purposely timed 286 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: perfectly to the commercial break of the Chase and Sandborn Hour. 287 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: So people would have been flipping around during the commercial 288 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: break as we often do easy Latin music listening, and 289 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: decided to stick around for a minute exactly um and 290 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: so when they were switching channels, when they switched to CBS, 291 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: they would have just heard this annything later than gentlemen, 292 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: from the Meridian Room in the Park claus Of Hotel 293 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 1: in New York, today, we bring you the music of 294 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: Raymond Ricuello and the doctors show the touch of the 295 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: finish Raymond Ricuello leadt with LA company, Ladies and gentlemen, 296 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: We interrupt our program of dance music to bring you 297 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: a special bulletoo, from the undercontinent of a radio on you. 298 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: At twenty minutes before a central time, Professor Farrell of 299 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: the Mount Gettings Observatory, Chicago, Illinois, reports observing several explosions 300 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: of incandescent gas occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars. 301 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: The spectroscope indicates the gas to be hydrogen and moving 302 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: towards the Earth with enormous velocity. Professor Pearson of the 303 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:24,359 Speaker 1: Observatory at Princeton confirms Farrell's observation and describes the phenomenon 304 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: as quote like a jet of blue flame shots m 305 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: a gun unquote. We now return you to the music 306 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: of Ramon Rocquelo playing for you in the Meridean room 307 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: of the Park Laza Hotel situated in downtown New York, 308 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: so you can see there where where it would have 309 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: sounded just like a normal interruption. It does sound like 310 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: a real interruption. And the fact that Mercury Theater on 311 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: the air was still unsponsored at that point really helped 312 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: because there weren't any commercials breaking in to remind people 313 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: that they were actually just watching a show. Also, there 314 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: are a few other effects that took place during the 315 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: show that really added to the reality of all of it. 316 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: The interviews with real sounding experts like Professor Pearson, a 317 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 1: noted astronomer, Lloyd Gray and natural history museum expert, and 318 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: also a man on the street. You know things that 319 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: real radio news programs were doing at the time. Yeah, 320 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: and the interviews they sounded really kind of authentic. I thought, 321 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: at least listening to this broadcast with the interviewer asking 322 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: people to speak up and things like that, interrupting each other, 323 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 1: it sounds very natural. It doesn't sound like something that 324 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: would have been rehearsed and performed. It's not totally perfect, 325 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 1: I guess, and the sound effects of background noise kind 326 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 1: of add to that authenticity. So here's an example of 327 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: an interview that would illustrate this point. Would you mind 328 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 1: Benny one side place back? Here's Mr Willmots, owner of 329 00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,920 Speaker 1: the bond here. You may have some interesting fact to it. 330 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: Let moment, would you please tell the radio audience as 331 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,399 Speaker 1: much as you remember this rather unusual visitor that dropped 332 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: in your backyard as step posted. Please, ladies and gentlemen, 333 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: this is Mr Willman Well, I wass sisting in the 334 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: radio post in louder. Please find me a louder please 335 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,640 Speaker 1: poses Yes, I was listening to the radio and kind 336 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: of drowsing. A professor fellow was talking about Mars. So 337 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: I was half dozen and half yes, yes, this woman, 338 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: and then what happened? Well, as I was saying I 339 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: was listening to the radio kind of halfway. Yes, this 340 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:35,199 Speaker 1: willen and then you saw something? Not first off, I 341 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 1: heard something? And what did you hear? Hissing sound like this, 342 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: kind of like a fourth of July rocket? Yes, then 343 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 1: what I turned my head out the window and would 344 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: have sworn I was to sleep and dreaming. Yes, I've 345 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: seen a kind of greenish streak, and then zingo stopping 346 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 1: smack the ground knocked me clear out of my chair. Well, 347 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: why are you frightened, Mr Willman, Well, I'm quite sure 348 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: I reckon. I was kind of r Thank you, mister Wilma, 349 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: thank you very much. Best fladding ladies and gentlemen. You've 350 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: just heard Mr Wilmot's owner the farm where this thing 351 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,239 Speaker 1: has fallen. That type of on the spot coverage was 352 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: also familiar to people, so the broadcast really took advantage 353 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:20,120 Speaker 1: of that fact. Since the Hindenburg explosion in n seven, 354 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 1: people were used to the on the spot, guy on 355 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: the street kind of news coverage, and some even say 356 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: that orson Welles had the actors listened to those older 357 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: broadcasts so they knew exactly what they were trying to replicate, 358 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,679 Speaker 1: kind of studied them and Finally, another theory as to 359 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: why people would have believed this hoax is that listeners 360 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,359 Speaker 1: were just vulnerable at this time because of what was 361 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: going on in the world. And I mean, we have 362 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,679 Speaker 1: kind of talked about and going especially through the New 363 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: York Times stuff, and it's kind of amusing to see 364 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:53,080 Speaker 1: in some cases, at least the way people reacted or 365 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 1: the way the police department reacted. But some of the 366 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: issues that were going on, we're pretty serious. I mean, 367 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: for one thing, a lot of people point to anxiety 368 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:02,919 Speaker 1: that may have been latent in the population at this 369 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: time after years of economic depression. Also, the Second World 370 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: War was looming in Europe, so that had people on edge. 371 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 1: And in fact, the show aired just after the Munich crisis, 372 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,199 Speaker 1: which was a war scare, which may have caused some 373 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: people to think that the invasion wasn't actually extraterrestrial it 374 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: was just a human war, which actually is scary enough. 375 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: It is scary. And regardless of exactly why people believed 376 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 1: this radio drama, whether they thought it was an enemy 377 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: invasion or an alien invasion, they did believe it and 378 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: it led to some not so great publicity for CBS. Consequently, 379 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: and initially for Orson Welles too, so he had given 380 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,160 Speaker 1: the final word and the broadcast basically saying that it 381 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,639 Speaker 1: was all just a story and CBS's version of a 382 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,000 Speaker 1: good Halloween joke essentially, but a lot of people were 383 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: angry when they realized it was fiction. That FCC issued 384 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: a statement calling the program quote regrettable. Lawsuits were drawn up, 385 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: even H. G. Wells threatened to sue for them its 386 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: use the quote misuse of his novel, and CBS had 387 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: to come out and publicly apologize and promised not to 388 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: create any quote simulated news broadcast that could cause harm. 389 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: So there was a lot of backtracking immediately after after 390 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 1: the show came out. There was an Orson Wells even 391 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: retreated from public view for a little while. But actually, 392 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,239 Speaker 1: once the desk settled, it became very clear that this 393 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 1: broadcast really put him on the map at the young 394 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: age of twenty three. The Mercury Theater on the Air 395 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: continued for a while and even got the sponsorship of 396 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 1: the Campbell Soup Company, so they went from being a small, 397 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: unsponsored show to really having a new name family fund 398 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,120 Speaker 1: kind of. Yeah. Well, they got moved to a better 399 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,399 Speaker 1: time slot and they were renamed The Campbell Playhouse, so 400 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: they had a little backing behind them. Orson Wells also 401 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 1: got a contract with R. Chaos Studios and moved to 402 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 1: Hollywood to write, produce, direct, and act in Citizen Kane. 403 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: And of course he made a lot of other films too, 404 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: so he was really prolific in that respect. Hard Cotch 405 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,919 Speaker 1: also went into film and had a very successful career. 406 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: He received an awesome here in nineteen forty four for 407 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: the Casablanca screenplay, and even H. G. Wells finally changed 408 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: his tune. The controversy spurred renewed interest in his novel. 409 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: I mean, it's one of those any publicity is good 410 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: publicity kind of cases, I think, and he came to 411 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: realize that. Yeah. So in retrospect it seems like a 412 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: genius move because of the publicity it did get for 413 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,159 Speaker 1: all these people, and many saw it as such at 414 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: the time. I read one take on it that said, 415 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: if you weren't fooled by it, you probably thought this 416 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: whole thing was genius, especially if you saw your neighbor 417 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: running out right, and if you were, if you were 418 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: the neighbor running out, if you were fooled by it, 419 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: then you were probably one of the ones who were 420 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,880 Speaker 1: outraged and thought it was really, really a bad thing 421 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: to do. And I think that's probably true of most hoaxes. Yeah, 422 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,119 Speaker 1: if you're in on it, it's cool. If not, if 423 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: your feelings are hurt, your feelings may be hurt and 424 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: you may feel a little bit silly about it. But 425 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's a it's an interesting question. Since 426 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 1: we weren't around then, do you think that you would 427 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 1: have fallen one for those hoax Sarah? Well, hopefully I 428 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: would have been a careful listener and I would maybe 429 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 1: pick up on some of the clues that it wasn't real. Um, 430 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: if you would have been there exactly at eight pm 431 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: to hear the intro, yeah, i'd have my clocks that 432 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: I'd be like one of the old fashioned pictures where 433 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,439 Speaker 1: the family is sitting in front of the radio waiting 434 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: for the show to be on. Um. I don't know, though, 435 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. I'm not sure what I would have done. 436 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,400 Speaker 1: What about yourself, Yeah, I'm not sure either. I would 437 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 1: like to think that I wouldn't be fooled, but you'd 438 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: be out there with a towel over your head. Maybe, 439 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,399 Speaker 1: Unless I wouldn't be out there but I'd definitely be 440 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: checking things out. I might make a phone call. I 441 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: can't be sure. It's interesting to wonder about, and I 442 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: am interested to know what our listeners think. Is there 443 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: is a good one. Um, how would you have reacted 444 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: if you heard the War of the World's Radio We 445 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: may have to put that one out there, but I 446 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: think before we can find that out before we sign 447 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: off today. Well, it's worth mentioning that there have been 448 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 1: some other more recent War of the World's Panics, and 449 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,720 Speaker 1: including one in nineteen forty nine involving a broadcast that 450 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 1: took place on Radio Quito in Ecuador, but this one 451 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: was actually deadly. Thousands of people rioted in the streets. 452 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: Some people thought that monsters were actually invading the country, 453 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: and some people thought that it might actually be neighboring 454 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: Peru invading. So some similar things going on at the 455 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: time as far as what people thought. Um. After discovering 456 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: that it was all a hoax, though, mobs attacked and 457 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: torched the radio station, killing twenty people, and since then 458 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,360 Speaker 1: there's been other similar hoaxes around the world, one in Buffalo, 459 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: New York in nineteen sixty eight, one in Providence, Rhode 460 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 1: Island in nineteen seventy four and one in northern Portugal 461 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty eight, so these things still happened. I 462 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:46,119 Speaker 1: noticed though, there hasn't been one of these radio hoaxes 463 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 1: since the Internet became pretty common. And I wonder now 464 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: if it would just be put down pretty pretty quickly, 465 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: you know, if the flames would be put out before 466 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: it got to the point of people rioting. But I 467 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: don't know it could it could accelerate, So if you 468 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: think about it, it's true. I would encourage people to 469 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: listen to the broadcast. I listened to the whole thing, 470 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: and I think Sarah did too, and um I listened 471 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,600 Speaker 1: to a couple of times actually, and I heard different 472 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: things both times. It was interesting to sit there and 473 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: imagine what it would be like to, uh have that 474 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: as your form of entertainment. Yeah, either either enjoying it 475 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: as fictional entertainment, knowing it with such, or trying to 476 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,120 Speaker 1: imagine what the people who thought it was a real 477 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: news report were actually thinking. And you may recognize little 478 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: bits and pieces of it here. It's been sampled in 479 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: popular culture. For example, if you if there are any 480 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: fans of the band Pin Back out there, They sampled 481 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: parts of this for their song Boo on one of 482 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 1: their albums, so that's just like a plug for one 483 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: of my favorite bands there. If you know of any 484 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: other places in popular culture that this has been sampled, 485 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: please write to us at History Podcast at how Stuff 486 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: Works dot com. I think that's all we have today though, 487 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: on the War of the World's broadcast, and now we're 488 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:03,479 Speaker 1: going to move on to snor mail. So some of 489 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: you may have heard our recent podcast proposal from Jim 490 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: to Julie on our Victoria and Albert episode, and we 491 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,120 Speaker 1: heard from both of them recently. They are now engaged, 492 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,959 Speaker 1: So podcast proposal success. We were pretty excited at our 493 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,239 Speaker 1: cubes when we got that email where we yeah, we 494 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: were jumping up and down and they sent us. We 495 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 1: put this on Facebook up a great save the date 496 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: that's superhero theme. So congratulations to Jim and Julie. But 497 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: are we really invited? You don't know, I know, we 498 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: don't know. If we don't know, if it's just sharing 499 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,040 Speaker 1: the well, we sent the save the date to everybody 500 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: on our Facebook page now though, so I don't think 501 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,400 Speaker 1: they probably don't want thousands of people at their weddings 502 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: on that note, we thought we would share this postcard 503 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: that we received from David from the Alhambra. Um Katie 504 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: and I did an episode on it back in the fall, 505 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,360 Speaker 1: so here's what he wrote. Hi did Lena and Sarah. 506 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: After hearing a show, I was inspired to take the 507 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 1: thirty hour flight to visit the Alhambra from Australia. The 508 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,199 Speaker 1: place really is too beautiful for words. I sat in 509 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: the shadow of the Alcazaba having a Spanish tortilla sandwich, 510 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: listening to your Rick Lunquista podcast just to make sure 511 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: I didn't miss the thing. I thought life could not 512 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: get better. Podcast in headphones, tortilla in hand, and gorgeous 513 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,440 Speaker 1: gardens as far as you can see. Until it did. 514 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 1: My partner and I decided to get married then and 515 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 1: there a series of events your podcasts began audiose, So hekay, 516 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: we're just like the romantic podcast streak going it seems 517 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 1: we do. We We love those stories and we will 518 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 1: admit that it's girly and apologize to anyone who was 519 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: offended by our love of love. We just did a 520 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: podcast on Like Possible Invading Aliens, so we think it 521 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: balances out. It's the best of both worlds. The war 522 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:57,960 Speaker 1: of the world's best of both world is excellent. So 523 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:03,439 Speaker 1: congratulation David and your partner, and congratulations again to Jim 524 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: and Julie. You guys look very happy together. If you 525 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: want to email us, it doesn't have to be a 526 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: grand dromantic story or an alien story. Yeah, just just whatever. 527 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 1: Any suggestions you have on radio dramas, orson welles old Hollywood. 528 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: I know lots of you have all sorts of Hollywood suggestions, 529 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,879 Speaker 1: go ahead and send them to us. That history podcast 530 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 1: at past stuff works dot com. We're also on Twitter 531 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: at Miston History, and we're on Facebook, as I already mentioned. 532 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: And if you would like to learn a little bit 533 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,399 Speaker 1: more about the possibility of life on Mars, which is 534 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: something sort of indirectly explored in the topic we talked 535 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,479 Speaker 1: about tonight, we have an article by our own Sarah 536 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,719 Speaker 1: Doality on our website called is there really water on Mars? 537 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 1: And you can look it up by entering that topic 538 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: into our the search bar on our homepage, which is 539 00:28:53,400 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: at www dot how stuff works dot com. Were sure 540 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the 541 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: Future Join House to work staff as we explore the 542 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 1: most promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The House Top 543 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: Works iPhone app has a ride. Download it today on 544 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: iTunes