War of the Worlds: Orson Welles' Alien Invasion Hoax

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1938, Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio broadcast stunned America. It was a defining moment in broadcast history - reports claimed it caused mass panic, with listeners believing Martians had truly invaded, and fleeing their homes in terror. But how much of that panic was real, and how much was media hype?

In this episode we're joined by A. Brad Schwartz, author of 'Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News'. He helps us to separate fact from fiction, and explains what this story tells us about the power of mass media and the spread of misinformation.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Tim Arstall.

You can read the letters written to Orson Welles about his famous broadcast here -https://quod.lib.umich.edu/w/wow/.

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Transcript

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0:25.2	Always seek medical advice from your GP or a pelvic health specialist.
0:30.9	Hi folks, Dan here.
0:32.1	I have some very, very exciting news for you.
0:34.7	To celebrate our 10th anniversary with you,
0:37.2	we are doing a live show
0:38.7	of Dan Snow's history here the first for a very, very long time. So please join me on Friday
0:43.5	the 12th of September in London Town. By popular demand, I'll be retelling the story of the legend
0:49.6	Thomas Cochran, the goat, greatest of all time, the man who inspired the movie Master and Commander.
0:55.1	And looking back, over 10 years of making this podcast, Prime Minister's Oscar winners,
1:01.5	World War II veterans, Holocaust survivors, and some of the greatest historians in the world.
1:08.3	It's a time for me to hang out with you guys and answer any burning questions
1:11.6	you may have. So don't miss it. It's going to be an epic party and there is no one I'd rather
1:15.8	spend it with. All of you, dedicated listeners. You can get tickets at the link in the show notes,
	...

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