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Back to WNYC's Radiolab

WNYC's Radiolab

War of the Worlds

In our very first live hour, we take a deep dive into one of the most controversial moments in broadcasting history: Orson Welles' 1938 radio play about Martians invading New Jersey. The War of the Worlds is believed to have fooled over a million people when it originally aired, and it's continued to fool people since--from Santiago, Chile to Buffalo, New York to a particularly disastrous evening in Quito, Ecuador.

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KCRW placeholderBy Jad Abumrad • Feb 13, 2011 • 1 min read

In our very first live hour, we take a deep dive into one of the most controversial moments in broadcasting history: Orson Welles' 1938 radio play about Martians invading New Jersey. The War of the Worlds is believed to have fooled over a million people when it originally aired, and it's continued to fool people since--from Santiago, Chile to Buffalo, New York to a particularly disastrous evening in Quito, Ecuador. (Live at the FitzGerald Theater)

Learn more or listen again to this week's episode.

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jad Abumrad

    creator of "Radiolab," and host of the new podcast “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man”

  • KCRW placeholder

    Robert Krulwich

    host of 'Radio Lab'

    Culture
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