Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds

On the evening of October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the United States heard a startling report of mysterious creatures and terrifying war machines moving toward New York City. This short course will retell the story of Orson Welles’s rise to fame, his innovative radio drama and play significant portions of the broadcast. We’ll discuss the bewitching power of early radio, how “fake news” programs got their start and whether War of the Worlds actually caused mass hysteria.