Mercury Theatre on Air

Broadcast History: 11 July 1938 to 13 September 1946

This radio series was probably more famed for its broadcast of “War of the Worlds”, perhaps the most famous program ever broadcast in the history of radio. The stories were simulated news broadcasts and on-the-spot reports. With “War of the Worlds” many people were deceived by the realistic news bulletins and the show caused a nationwide sensation. 6 million people had listened to the show: 1.7 million had believed it to be authentic news and 1.2 million had been genuinely frightened!