Illinois Public Radio

Statewide: The War of the Worlds

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published October 28, 2026 at 10:57 AM CDT

The panic made the front page of the Chicago Herald and Examiner. (Records of the Federal Communications Commission, RG 173)

On this episode, we discuss the time a radio show terrorized listeners. In 1938, when “War of the Worlds” aired, radio was a new broadcast medium. The only other was film, which was more sanitized and far less lifelike than now.

Orson Welles, a Midwest native, and his company played with the airwaves’ potential by making this show as realistic as possible. They were far more successful than they dreamed.

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