Near the end of the depression and less than a year before Hitler invaded Poland, the Mercury Theater and Orson Welles scared the pants off the Northeast in particular. Today is the anniversary.
Now, a bunch of scientists have dreamed up something of a one way, possibly round trip journey to Mars.The only drawback seems to be that it is probably "one way". Well - you go first and let me know how it works out. Will that be first class or coach?
There is a certain amount of hysteria just beneath the human surface when we think of the planet Mars. No doubt the War of the Worlds folks came from there and we have been intrigued by it way before Schiaparelli (the first reporter of canali or canals) and Percy Lowell who somehow saw a grid pattern (dust your telescope please). Anything red that moves all over the place can't be good.
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote A Princess of Mars in 1912 which talked about the canals as part of an extensive irrigation system (remember that we still carried over the 19th century fascination with Egypt and the Suez Canal - think Verdi and opera through King Tuts Tomb) and that book, my dad's copy, still rests on my bookshelf. I read it first when I was about 10 just like he did and got into the canal thing to the point of nagging my parents for a telescope so I could see for myself. I couldn't see it, that's for sure but it was fun to try and with my scientific knowledge in a fairly primitive state, went out night after night during a close passing hoping that this would be the night they were clear.
Anyway, Halloween approaches - trick or treat - get ready. Enjoy the story...it scared our parents half to death. 1938. Orson Wells. The tripods on the march.