Audio:The War of the Worlds

Aliens exist, terrestrial or otherwise. Whether or not you believe in the extraterrestrial brood is a topic for debate we'll leave to these folks. In this episode of Radiolab, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich examine the power of mass media to create panic. In front of a live audience, Radiolab relives the most controversial moments in broadcasting history: Orson Welles' 1938 radio play "The War of the Worlds." Seeing as this month's theme at WORLDcompass is OUTSIDERS, we couldn't resist posting this. Althouth Martians invading New Jersey may be a fantasy for many of those outside the Garden State,  "The War of the Worlds" proved to be no laughing matter in 1938. Tune in and listen as Jad and Robert take you on a pretty terrifying trip down memory lane.