British author H. G. Wells (1866–1946), the father of science fiction, published his novel The War of the Worlds in 1898. The tale concerns an attack on Earth by a force of Martians—a trite idea today, but a fresh concept at the time. However, the story had its greatest impact as a radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2) drama. Broadcast in 1938, the program fooled many Americans into believing that the Martians had actually landed.

The show was broadcast on the night of October 31, 1938, as part of the regularly scheduled "Mercury Radio Theatre of the Air." It is perhaps the greatest example of a Halloween "trick or treat" ever devised. The program was the brainchild of Orson Welles (1915-1985), who later gained fame as a movie actor and director.

The broadcast gained its impact from the way the...