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CBS News Radio flashback: Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast

On Oct. 30, 1938, CBS News Radio listeners were sent into a frenzy listening to Orson Welles' reading of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," thinking it was a real broadcast detailing an alien invasion. CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns introduces the fictional, now-iconic breaking news bulletin.

CBS News Radio flashback: Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast

TL;DR

  • On October 30, 1938, CBS News Radio broadcast Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds."
  • Listeners believed the fictional alien invasion report was real news.
  • This caused a frenzy among the radio audience.
  • Caitlin Huey-Burns of CBS News introduced the broadcast.