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It literally opens by telling you its a fictional play. The mass hysteria caused by it is a myth created by newspapers wanting to make a popular story. To quote well himself the scare caused by it is akin to "[when] somebody puts a sheet over his head and says 'Boo!' I don't think anybody believes that that individual is a ghost, but we do scream and yell and rush down the hall" There is no evidence of any hysteria outside of a few phone calls to the radio station.

@@emmastrange5557 yeah my understanding is that the announcement of it being a story was made just once and that people died that tuned in after the fact that it was just a story because they believed it.

@@louisbuzzi869 You can hear in this recording its repeated multiple times that its a play. After each break they announced that they're continuing the audio play based on the H.G Wells novel. The play was advertised before hand and aired during a slot reserved for plays. It's one of those urban legends that became so popular that the legend has almost overridden reality. Tabloid papers at the time basically made up the story because its funny, in reality very few people actually tuned in, and of all those surveyed that did all knew it was fictional. That the myth has survived to this day is likely due to Welles posthumous rise to fame. As a society we retroactively pretend he was a bigger deal at the time than he was, it is after all absurd that it took so long for his talent to get recognised. This has created a shift of balance in the other direction, now his acting is presented as so good people thought it was real. Basically there's multiple reasons the myth exists, but its still a myth.

Do you know the theme music at the very beginning? It sounds familiar but can’t place it

@@underwriter100 Yes, it is "Tchaikovsky's Concerto #1"

I would be willing to bet that playing some good old radio shows, (sans progressive propaganda, and shut all otehr devises off.), as family entertainment once a week today,---will increase the attention span of your kids, (and parents), far above that of what is normal today.

@@EarthSurferUSA Totally agree. My kids were affected by radio being used around them when they were young, and both of them at 47 and 50 are frequent listeners of podcasts which are basically the same sort of medium. They are both bright successful people.

I believe he was also a communist ideologically, (may be card carrying?), but I understand he may have had 2nd thoughts about it sometime during his later life. We should be careful who we claim is a genius, because anybody who prefers communism clearly is not.

From Alaska

Bit ironic that you're fooling for fake news from that era, there was no mass hysteria, it was a radio show advertised as such, not listened to by many, and the news at the time desperate for a story made up the hysteria. So now why not question yourself, if you're capable of fooling for fake news from 84 years ago, why do you think you have a better understanding of news than literally anyone else? You are literally one of the most gullible people on earth.

@@emmastrange5557 "there was no mass hysteria" Never said there was. That takes care of the first paragraph. "why do you think you have a better understanding of news than literally anyone else?" Not only didn't say this - but never even implied it. That takes care of the 2nd paragraph. - And it's 'falling'.

@@LavishPatchKid So what on earth are you talking about? Who is lying to the masses? The broadcast was advertised beforehand as being fictional, was repeatedly mentioned during the broadcast that it's fictional. Either say what you mean or don't say anything at all.

@@emmastrange5557 What started off as 'a simple program for entertainment, that convinced a few people it was real, who didn't know any better' - led to revelations as to 'what could be done with what one broadcasts.' Obviously, realizing how gullible people are - will inevitably lead to people abusing such a tool; especially in economies with trillions of dollars at play. I don't understand how 'what I'm suggesting' is controversial. You pick odd battles, friend.

@@LavishPatchKid Ok so what I said was correct, you did indeed fool for fake news thinking people did believe it was real, despite no evidence suggesting so. And you talk about people being gullible as if you are a separate entity, so I ask you again, what makes you think you aren't the gullible one here? The basis of the claim people believed it was real was a few phone calls to the station about concern people may think its real. That never happened,, the concerns were unwarranted, but papers at the time heard those concerns and pretended it did happen because it makes a good story. You are literally using fake news to raise concerns about fake news. As I said you are one of the most gullible people on earth. Fake news exists, but you're the one that listens to it

Agree. Too bad, there are no hungarian covers, though. Anyway, still brilliant.

Only in the USA??? Actually, a radio station in Quito Ecuador did a version of War of the Worlds and the reaction was even worse. Six people at the radio station were killed by an angry mob.

There a reason you’re bringing your small minded politics in here, Billy?

It was also played in the UK. They had been told about Americans reaction ahead of time, but reacted similarly as there was no way to verify or nullify such an instance. So, Billy, grow up and learn your history on both fronts before your closed mind opens your mouth. Moon landing? REAL People in multiple countries getting scared by this broadcast? REAL Seeing your reaction when you learn several truths at once? PRICELESS

Vista Bassari It’s a play they broadcasted in 1938, it tricked millions because it sounds real with the events and the way they set it up.

Some say it was in the millions.

Some say it was none.

Byron Kingsley what was going thru your mind when you began listening to it?

Byron, there are several of us that’d like to hear what it was like. Please share your story.