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Dan Snow's History Hit

War of the Worlds: Orson Welles' Alien Invasion Hoax

Ep. 1667
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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/.


Join Dan and the team for a special LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday 12th September 2025!


To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!


Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/.


We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.


You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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