When Mars Attacked New Jersey

It was 65 years ago this evening that Orson Welles' radio broadcast of 'The War of the Worlds' (RealAudio) caused 'mass hysteria' and 'nationwide panic' across the United States. Well, not quite. As hoax historian Alex Boese notes, the impact of the one-hour show was greatly exaggerated by the media in the weeks that followed. 'In fact,' he writes, 'the idea that the broadcast touched off a huge national scare is probably more of a hoax than the broadcast itself, which was never intended to fool anyone (at four separate points during the broadcast, including the beginning, it was clearly stated that what people were hearing was a play).' Judge for yourself: the script; the broadcast; the panic. Discuss.