SPOOKED! How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America
For Oona Joan may you never be Spooked
Acknowledgments THANK YOU to these people who shared their time and expertise with me as I worked on this book For providing background on human psychology and behavior and for answering my questions about individual responses to media J Edward Russo professor of Marketing S C Johnson Graduate School of Management Cornell University and Michael Shapiro professor Department of Communication Cornell University For filling me in on key aspects of radio broadcasting and sound production Tish Pearlman broadcast journalist and producer and Nate Richardson producer and musician For providing assistance with primary source research the staffs at the Special Collections Library University of Michigan Ann Arbor and at the National Archives College Park Maryland For help in locating and obtaining difficult-to-find photographs Jeremy Megraw and Thomas Lisanti of the New York Public Library For their considerable skill in transforming a manuscript into a published book the Calkins Creek team And for her dependable counsel on all my historical adventures my trusty editor Carolyn P Yoder GJ
A family gathers around the radio set In the 1930s listening to the radio was Americans favorite entertainment By 1938 about 80 percent of American homes had a radio
CHAPTER ONE HAUNTED ON HALLOWEEN EVE We figured our friends and families were all dead New Jersey college student Mischief Night 1938 was crisp and clear in the northeastern United States Following the tradition of the region teens and older children prowled their neighborhoods They soaped windows smashed carved pumpkins and toiletpapered toiletpapered bushes The mischief-makers planned to return to the scene of their tricks the next night Halloween dressed in costume innocently asking the neighbors for treats Few Americans knew that a group of adults was plotting a different sort of mischief for October 30 1938 That Sunday evening began with people gathered around the family radio relaxing as the weekend drew to a close On Monday morning the young would be back at school Men and some of the women would report to their jobs if they were lucky enough to have one Radio was an escape from the challenges and concerns of their lives The music sports comedy and drama programs helped them forget the money troubles they’d had since the Great Depression began nine years earlier Millions were still unemployed doubtful about ever finding work again Those with jobs weren’t sure how long they would keep them Many had lost their houses and farms because they couldn’t pay their debts Lately it seemed as if the bad news wouldn’t stop In September a powerful
