14. The War of the Worlds Broadcast Panic
In 1938, Orson Welles delivered a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds,” so realistic that many listeners believed Earth was under attack by Martians. The broadcast led to widespread panic and confusion. Today, a similar event would ignite a frenzy of viral tweets, livestream reactions, and fake news reports—spreading panic even faster. Read more about this historic media moment at Smithsonian Magazine.
