Eighty-seven years after Orson Welles' iconic War of the Worlds broadcast sent millions of Americans into panic, a new book by National Bestselling author William Elliott Hazelgrove revisits the night that shook the nation. Titled Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrified America, the book chronicles the October 30, 1938, Mercury Theatre radio drama that listeners mistook for real news of a Martian invasion, causing widespread hysteria from coast to coast.
Hazelgrove, known for works like Evil on the Roof of the World and Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson, blends cultural history with narrative drama to explore how a single broadcast triggered a collective loss of reality. “Welles created the first viral event,” Hazelgrove said. “In an age before television or social media, a single broadcast paralyzed the country. Dead Air shows how fear, faith in media, and imagination collided in one unforgettable hour.”
The book has garnered praise from critics, with Booklist calling it “a masterful account of mass hysteria and media power,” and Publishers Weekly describing it as “a cinematic, heart-pounding read.” As the 87th anniversary of the broadcast reignites interest in Welles' masterpiece, Dead Air underscores how a story told at the right moment can shake an entire nation.
Hazelgrove, a former Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence, has written for USA Today and The Smithsonian Magazine, and his work has been featured on NPR and CSPAN. More information about the author and his books can be found at www.williamhazelgrove.com.
