Claim: Orson Welles' 30 October 1938 radio adaptation of "The War of the Worlds" caused mass hysteria, convincing thousands of panicked listeners across North America that Earth was being attacked by Mars.
Fact-check: Did the 1938 Radio Broadcast of 'War of the Worlds' Cause a Nationwide Panic?
Verdict: mostly false
Organisation: Snopes
Author: David Emery
Date published: 2016-10-28T00:00:00