On October 30, 1938, The Mercury Theatre on the Air, under the direction of Orson Welles, dramatized on the radio their version of H.G. Welles' sci-fi classic "The War of the Worlds." Presented as a series of simulated news bulletins announcing that Martian aliens were attacking the U.S., some listeners panicked and thought the show was real – resulting in pandemonium in some parts of the country.

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the original broadcast by listening to the original broadcast, hear scholars interpret the impact of the show, and see how the show's impact continues to affect present day scholarship as recent U-M grad A. Brad Schwartz discusses how letters from the Special Collections Library's Orson Welles collection helped him write an award-winning honor's thesis.

7:00 pm – radio scholars discuss the program
8:00 pm – rebroadcast of the program
9:00 pm – A. Brad Schwartz discusses his role with the new American Experience program "War of the Worlds"