On this Halloween in 1938, CBS Radio Network broadcast "The War of the Worlds", beginning with a paraphrased beginning of the novel by H.G. Wells, updated to contemporary times and introduced by Orson Welles:
"We know now that in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns, they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacence, people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their dominion over this small spinning fragment of solar driftwood which by chance or design man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space. Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that are to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. In the 39th year of the 20th century came the great disillusionment. It was near the end of October. Business was better. The war scare was over. More men were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 30th, the Crossley service estimated that 32 million people were listening in on radios..."
This broadcast became infamous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was actually taking place, but it's not the only novel by H.G. Wells that had enormous consequences. His novel "The World Set Free", which described "atomic bombs", influenced Leo Szilard's vital role in the Manhattan Project.
Perhaps without this book "Leo Szilard would never have conceived of a nuclear chain reaction and without conceiving of a nuclear chain reaction he would never have grown terrified and without growing terrified Leo Szilard would never have persuaded Einstein to lobby Roosevelt and without Einstein lobbying Roosevelt there would have been no Manhattan Project and without the Manhattan Project there is no lever at 8.15 am on 6 August 1945 for Thomas Freebee to release 31,000 feet over Hiroshima, there is no bomb on Hiroshima and no bomb on Nagasaki and 100,000 people or 160,000 people or 200,000 people live ..." (quoted from Richard Flanagan's "Question 7")
Anyway, here in Australia we don't really celebrate Halloween. Why, even Donald Trump hates Halloween. When you’re a deranged monster who scares shit out of people, you don’t want competition, do you?
