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Smithsonian Magazine

The inside story of the 'War of the Worlds' broadcast

On Halloween night in 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air performed a radio adaptation of HG Welles' "The War of the Worlds." The broadcast was designed to sound like a series of real news bulletins, and some listeners who tuned in late or didn't realize it was a play mistook it for an actual news report about a Martian invasion. This led to widespread panic and hysteria, with people fleeing their homes and calling the police. The incident was a major news story and helped to solidify Welles' reputation as a talented director and actor.

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Reuters

How the James Webb looks back in time

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched December 25, 2021, with tools allowing it to peer billions of years back in time. The successor space telescope to NASA's highly touted Hubble, the Webb's infrared imaging capability is 100 times superior to Hubble's, enabling it to capture more objects at a further distance. This visual explainer its unprecedented equipment and traces its peculiar solar orbit 1 million miles from Earth.

Esquire

The fatal allure of the Andrea Doria

The SS Andrea Doria was a luxury ocean liner that sank in 1956 after colliding with the Swedish passenger liner MS Stockholm. The sinking of the Andrea Doria was one of the most famous maritime disasters of the 20th century, and it resulted in the...

Vox Media

Finding Forrest Fenn's Treasure

In 1988, Veteran-turned-treasure-hunter Forrest Fenn was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of brooding over the disease, Fenn packed a chest full of $1M worth of artifacts, burying it somewhere along the Rocky Mountains and launching one of the most...

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