1991. Geraldo Rivera’s Now It Can Be Told news program looks back at the 1938 broadcast of ‘War of the Worlds’, a terrifying case of media-induced mass hysteria. On Halloween Eve, a broadcast went out with the recent news of Winston Churchilll meeting Hitler for negotiations, news that gripped the nation. Howard Koch, listening to the news and watching the mood, quickly learned the power of a news story. It was decided to take advantage with his legendary broadcast, an entirely fake report claiming that martians were invading and taking over parts of the U.S — completely unaware of the panic that immediately gripped many listeners.
The War of the Worlds hysteria gripped the country in 1938, and inspired movies, films, and much more. It remains a major cultural event even today.