Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: The War of the Worlds
Oct 30, 2024, 9:00 PM
A front page Chicago Herald and Examiner headline following the "War of the Worlds" broadcast scare (Records of the Federal Communications Commission, RG 173, via National Archives)
(Records of the Federal Communications Commission, RG 173, via National Archives)
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — Do you know they do disclaimers on TV that say “this is a re-enactment. This work is fictional.”
It’s because of the night my mom was born.
October 30, 1938. The CBS Radio Network broadcasted a ballroom dancing show that they interrupted with fake reports about Martians invading earth, arriving in New Jersey and killing citizens with reckless abandon.
Some Americans grabbed their guns. A few took their own lives. There were congressional hearings about this irresponsible network with a fake news broadcast the night before Halloween. Scaring Americans.
At the same time, in my grandparents three room house, they were boiling the water for the arrival of my mom.
While the news media would fixate on the War of the Worlds story each anniversary afterward, I once asked my grandmother “what was it like? Did you think there were Martians up the street?”
She’s like “what are you talking about.”
While the country was supposedly transfixed by Martians, my family was busy with a baby’s imminent arrival.
And every year after, it was mom’s birthday. So they never heard the anniversary stories of any of this.
But to this day, because of that night, grandma’s grandson is required to issue warnings like “what you are about to hear is a reenactment. Or this audio is from a previous incident… All because of the Martians who didn’t show up at the same time my mother did.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.
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