Question

Research and Extend Choose one of the following topics to research: author Ray Bradbury, the series called Bradbury 13, or the history of radio plays in general. Find one interesting fact using an online source. Write it down along with the search terms you used.

Answer 1

Chosen topic: history of radio plays

Interesting fact:
- Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds — presented in the style of breaking news bulletins — is widely remembered for causing mass panic. Modern historians, however, have shown the scope of the panic was far smaller and was exaggerated by newspapers; nevertheless the broadcast did prompt FCC scrutiny and strengthened awareness of how realistic radio dramatizations could affect listeners. (Summary based on coverage in mainstream reference and history sites.)

Online sources I relied on / recommend checking:
- Britannica — “War of the Worlds broadcast” (encyclopedic overview)
- History.com — article on Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast and its effects

Search terms I used / recommend using to find these sources:
- Orson Welles War of the Worlds 1938 panic Britannica
- Orson Welles War of the Worlds 1938 History.com
- War of the Worlds broadcast 1938 FCC hearings newspapers exaggeration

If you want, I can open one of those pages for you (if you have web access) and pull a direct quote + exact URL, or find additional primary-source coverage (contemporary newspaper accounts, FCC transcripts, or the original broadcast audio).