The Infamous “War of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast Was a Magnificent Fluke

(via Smithsonian) On the evening of October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the U.S. heard a report of mysterious creatures and war machines moving toward New York City. But the hair-raising broadcast was not a real news bulletin—it was Orson Welles’ adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic “The War of the Worlds.”  Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air changed broadcasting forever.