In 1938, director Orson Welles made a radio play based on The War of the Worlds by Herbert Wells, a novel about Martians attacking the Earth.

The radio adaptation was made to resemble a live broadcast, and it was a perfect hit: the speech was interrupted by static and “correspondents“ covering events.

The listeners had been warned that it was only a play, but some still forgot about it. Some of the believers panicked and fled the city (especially after ”President Roosevelt’s" plea to remain calm).