Basically most people thought it was real and acted accordingly. The program was aired on the on Halloween in 1938 on local American radio networks.
Part of the program involved "news flashes", which were taken literally by many causing panic amongst some people who had tuned in late to the program and didn't realise it was a dramatization.
To put it into perspective this was the time between the First World War (1914-1918) and immediately prior to the Second World War (1939-1945); tensions between European nations were high and America was trying to stay out of what was considered an inevitable world war.
The story was based on a martian invasion of Earth by the author HG Wells, and was produced by the soon to be famous Orson Wells.
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The public reaction to The War of the Worlds broadcast revealed the power of radio in shaping perceptions and causing widespread panic due to its realistic format. It also highlighted the anxieties of American people in 1938, as it exposed the fear of potential war and invasion, exacerbated by the geopolitical climate of the time.
People were in a panicky mood about another war
He could not believe that so many listeners had thought the events described in the broadcast were real.
(Apex Learning) He could not believe that so many listeners had thought the events described in the broadcast were real.
They made it seem like the reports broadcast on the radio were real. [=
Orson Welles
1096
October 30, 1938
War of the Worlds. The broadcast was given by Orson Welles.
To make the broadcast seem more credible. APEX
The United States. APEX
B. That the H. G. Welles book was well known and many people were familiar with the story.
(Apex Learning) That the H. G. Wells book was well known and many people were familiar with the story.
Orson Welles' 1938 broadcast "War of the Worlds."