On October 30, 1938, the Orson Welles radio drama, War of the Worlds, caused a nationwide panic. As many as a million radio listeners believed an invasion of Earth by Martians was underway. In New Jersey, citizens jammed highways trying to escape. When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just fiction. War of the Worlds was not intended as a radio hoax; Welles had little idea of the havoc it would cause.
