Orson Welles was the man who directed and narrated the infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. The broadcast was influenced by H. G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" novel but with a modern twist to increase realism for the listeners. The broadcast made it seem as though aliens really were invading Earth that very moment, and Welles' compelling voice combined with the 'sound effects' such as the coughing from poison gas would convince anyone that it was really happening - especially since there had been no warning that this was all fiction until the end, and people tuned in after it had already started anyway.
A portion of America who truly believed that Earth was being invaded by aliens flew into a panic. Many even abandoned their homes in an effort to evacuate the area and escape the incoming attack. When it was discovered that "War of the Worlds" was only a performance, the public reacted angrily. Orson Welles gave a public apology, but no serious measures were taken because it didn't do any real harm besides giving the public quite a scare. In fact, the broadcast even made Orson Welles famous and probably helped his future career as a filmmaker.
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