What The History Podcast

The War of the Words Special

In this episode Suzie and Trevor have a rare convergence where their stories are related.  Suzie looks into an infamous radio broadcast and Trevor checks out a controversial headline from the 1870s.

WHAT THE HISTORY?

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Sources:

WAR OF THE WORLDS

Chilton M 2016, ‘The War of the Worlds panic was a myth’, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/what-to-listen-to/the-war-of-the-worlds-panic-was-a-myth/
Cruz G 2008, ‘Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds’ http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1855120,00.html
Emery D 2016, ‘Did the 1938 Radio Broadcast of ‘War of the Worlds’ Cause a Nationwide Panic?’ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/war-of-the-worlds/
History.com 2018, ‘This Day In History – October 30 – Welles Scares Nation’ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/welles-scares-nation
Schwarz A 2015, ‘The Infamous “War of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast Was a Magnificent Fluke’ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/
The New York Times 1938, ‘Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact Many Flee Homes to Escape `Gas Raid From Mars’–Phone Calls Swamp Police at Broadcast of Wells Fantasy’ http://www.war-of-the-worlds.org/Radio/Newspapers/Oct31/NYT.html

Welles O 1938, ‘Orson Welles – War Of The Worlds – Radio Broadcast 1938 – Complete Broadcast’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g

THE NEW YORK ZOO HOAX

The Central Park Zoo Escape – The Museum of Hoaxes

‘A carnival of death’ on New York’s streets: The newspaper hoax that panicked a city – The Washington Post

“A Shocking Sabbath Carnival of Death” – Slate

Other stuff:

The word history in the opening theme has been extracted from…

History Never Repeats – Split Enz (1981)

History Repeating – Propellerheads feat: Miss Shirley Bassey (1998)

Flame Trees – Cold Chisel (1984)

You’re History – Shakespeare’s Sister (1989)

Centuries – Fall Out Boy (2015)

Fade out music – The Eve of the War – Jeff Wayne (1978)

All music used under fair use provisions.