Page 9 - All About History - Issue 70-18

DEFINING MOMENTS

WAR OF THE WORDS
Orson Welles (arms raised) rehearses his radio adaptation of
HG Wells’s classic, The War Of The Worlds, ahead of its 30
October broadcast. Claims that the story of an alien invasion
sparked panic across the United States are largely a myth,
with minor incidents seized upon and exaggerated by
contemporary newspapers. This was in part an effort
to boost sales as well as censure the relatively new
medium of radio, which was fast becoming a
rival to traditional print news.
1938

© Alamy

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