Radio shows that caused panic
0Loading crowd target
Questions and sources
Radio Shows That Caused Panic — Daily trivia Sunday, March 29, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which radio network aired Orson Welles's infamous 'War of the Worlds' broadcast?
- ACBS Radio
- BMutual Broadcasting System
- CNBC Red Network
- DABC Radio
Show answer
CBS Radio
The Mercury Theatre on the Air performed the broadcast live on the CBS Radio Network on October 30, 1938. CBS was the home network for Orson Welles' show.
Q 02What did Orson Welles's 'War of the Worlds' broadcast depict to frighten listeners?
- AA plague spreading across the Midwest
- BA nuclear attack on Washington, D.C.
- CA massive earthquake destroying California
- DA Martian invasion of New Jersey
Show answer
A Martian invasion of New Jersey
A Martian invasion of New Jersey, told as fake news bulletins breaking into a music program, until the Martians were marching on New York City.
Q 03Which film did Orson Welles direct first after his 'War of the Worlds' fame?
- ACitizen Kane
- BTouch of Evil
- COthello
- DMacbeth
Show answer
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane: the broadcast made the 23-year-old famous, and RKO signed him to what was called the greatest contract ever offered to a filmmaker, final cut included.
Q 04Who adapted H.G. Wells' novel into the script for the 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast?
- AHoward Koch
- BArch Oboler
- CFrank Readick
- DNorman Corwin
Show answer
Howard Koch
Howard Koch wrote the adaptation, moving the story from 19th-century England to 20th-century America, and he later shared the Oscar for Casablanca's screenplay.
Q 05Which small New Jersey community was named as the Martian landing site in the 1938 broadcast?
- APrinceton Junction
- BGrover's Mill
- CCranbury
- DPlainsboro
Show answer
Grover's Mill
Grover's Mill, an unincorporated village in West Windsor, New Jersey, was the fictional landing site, and the township marked the broadcast's 50th anniversary in 1988 with four days of festivities.
Q 06Which Princeton psychologist was lead author of 'The Invasion from Mars', the War of the Worlds panic study?
- AHarold Lasswell
- BEdward Bernays
- CWalter Lippmann
- DHadley Cantril
Show answer
Hadley Cantril
Hadley Cantril's team found that listeners who lacked the habit of questioning what they heard were likeliest to panic, though Hazel Gaudet and Herta Herzog did much of the work.
Q 07What happened after listeners in Quito, Ecuador learned that a 1949 'War of the Worlds' broadcast was fiction?
- AMass looting broke out across the city
- BListeners filed a class-action lawsuit against the station
- CA mob set fire to the radio station, killing several people
- DThe military declared martial law for a week
Show answer
A mob set fire to the radio station, killing several people
A mob set fire to the radio station, killing several people: at least six died when rioters burned Radio Quito and El Comercio, including producer Leonardo Páez's girlfriend.
Q 08Few panicked 'War of the Worlds' listeners in 1938 thought Martians had landed, so what did most believe?
- AA German military invasion or natural disaster
- BA chemical plant explosion
- CA test of the emergency broadcast system
- DAn act of domestic terrorism
Show answer
A German military invasion or natural disaster
A German military invasion or natural disaster: a Radio Project study found fewer than a third of panicked listeners took the invaders for aliens.
Q 09Why have modern historians argued that the 1938 "War of the Worlds" panic was greatly exaggerated?
- AThe FCC suppressed evidence of the real panic
- BThe government covered up how few people actually listened
- CNewspapers sensationalized it to undermine radio as a rival medium
- DWelles himself admitted he staged the panic reports
Show answer
Newspapers sensationalized it to undermine radio as a rival medium
Newspapers sensationalized it to undermine radio as a rival medium: radio had siphoned off their advertising revenue during the Depression, and the real panic was tiny.
Q 10Which unexpected organization responded to Buffalo station WKBW's 1968 'War of the Worlds' as if real?
- AThe FBI
- BThe Canadian military
- CThe National Guard
- DNASA
Show answer
The Canadian military
Despite an extensive advertising campaign warning listeners, the WKBW broadcast fooled several people — including the Canadian military, which dispatched troops to the Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo to Canada.
How to play
- One question at a time, four options. Tap an answer to lock it in.
- You see the answer and a short explanation right away.
- Harder questions and faster answers earn more points. Share your score at the end.