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Mars Attacked, 65 Years Ago Today

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the american-classic dept.

Jodrell writes "Forget solar flares, and the upcoming Halloween festivities - tonight marks the 65th anniversary of the broadcast of Orson Welles' radioplay version on The War Of The Worlds."

9 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. Terrorists! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Martian Government has determined that the people of Earth are harboring biological weapons. Prepare to be liberated.

  2. Such a shame... by r_glen · · Score: 5, Funny

    They could have just checked Snopes

  3. WOTW Audio by Pastor+Fluff · · Score: 5, Informative

    You can get the audio for the show here. Not the best fidelity, but still...

    --
    Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble... can't we just go to Starbuck's for coffee?
  4. Lord John Whorfin officially states: by burgburgburg · · Score: 5, Funny
    "Laugh-a while you can, monkey boy!"

    John Bigboote points out:

    "It's not my goddamn planet, understand, monkey boy?"

    Where are we going?
    Planet 10!
    When?
    Real soon!

  5. Listen to it here by sdmartin101 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You can find an MP3 version of the original broadcast at http://www.unknown.nu/mercury/. (Be nice -- the server is slow even when not being slashdotted.)

  6. An interesting antecdote by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From my grandfather, who worked at a gas station about 20 miles from the "landing site" He said of all the people that stopped at the station that night, half were leaving to get away from the aliens, and the other half were driving towards it!

  7. I doubt it by MonkeyCookie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've heard parts of the original Orson Welles broadcast. With all the media we're exposed to, there is absolutely no way we'd be fooled by it today.

    Even with good editing and falsified television footage, I still doubt such a thing would fool us. We've seen way too many alien movies and such to be fooled. Something more believable and fear-inducing, such as falsified terrorist threats and terrorist attacks might do it.

    I would also point out that it would make it even more difficult to pull such a hoax now due to the fact that we have so many more media sources now. Back then there were only a few radio stations. Now we have the Internet, radio, television, etc. It would certainly look strange if one channel/station was covering it and everyone else seemed oblivious to it.

    1. Re:I doubt it by Ossadagowah · · Score: 5, Funny

      Even with good editing and falsified television footage, I still doubt such a thing would fool us.

      People believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, didn't they?

      --
      anata sekai o kakumei surush ga nai deshou? Anata no susumu michi wa yoi shite arimasu.
  8. Uh - huh. by gailwynand · · Score: 5, Funny

    My grandfather, for one, welcomed our new Martian overlords.

    --
    A pilot, in those days, was the only unfettered and entirely independent human being that lived in the earth.-Mark Twain