Página — Uerakua Anapu Uantakua Projects And Readings 2° Secundaria (pág. 40)

—first published in 1898, which described a Martian invasion on Earth— into a radio format, transforming it to create a believable story and transmitting it with his company, Mercury Theater, in his program On the Air, broadcasted by CBS station.

In fact, the introduction of the program explained it was a dramatization based on the novel by Wells, but listeners did not pay much attention and thought that a Martian invasion was taking place. Orson Welles continued to talk into the microphone:"Ladies and gentlemen, I have grave news to announce. As incredible as it seems,both scientific observations and the most palpable reality compel us to believe that the strange beings who have landed tonight in a rural zone of Jersey are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars."

It is believed that twelve million people were listening to the radio transmission, and several thousand panicked and left their homes, collapsing the roads and police stations. Emergency lines didn't stop ringing due to the immense quantity of people calling in, afraid, and saying they had seen the Martians. The transmission went on for59 minutes and ended with the"death"of Orson Welles himself —who played the role of Professor Richard Pierson- caused by toxic gases launched by the invaders.

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Luis Antonio Moreno Aguayo. WaraRT

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