The 1938 "War of the Worlds" Radio Broadcast Wavs You can purchase this radio broadcast at the EarthStation1.com Store. In addition to the individual wav selections below, you can now listen to our renown digitally remastered CD of the *entire broadcast* in MP3 format by clicking here! Click on the icons below to play and/or download these sounds. If you need help playing any of these wavs, go to our Sound Apps Page. The Mercury Theatre On-The-Air Announcer begins broadcast. $ Purchase Orson Welles' opening monologue. $ Purchase The beginning of the dramatized radio show. $ Purchase The first reports of regularly intervaled explosions on the surface of Mars. $ Purchase Reporter Carl Phillips reports from Princeton Observatory. $ Purchase Carl Phillips interviews Princeton Observatory's Professor Richard Pearson (Orson Welles) on the explosions on Mars. $ Purchase Carl Phillips reads message sent to Prof. Pearson regarding a seismic disturbance outside Princeton and concludes his interview at Princeton Observatory. $ Purchase News Bulletin corrorborates reports of explosions on Mars and reports the fall of an object, "believed to be a meteorite", onto a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. $ Purchase Studio Announcer breaks to Grovers Mill. $ Purchase Carl Phillips reports live from the scene of the object's fall at Grovers Mill. $ Purchase Farm owner Mr. Wilmuth is interviewed by Carl Phillips. $ Purchase Carl Phillips gives his radio listeners a background description of scene. $ Purchase Argument between Police and curious spectators covered by Carl Phillips. $ Purchase Carl Phillips first reports a curious scraping noise coming from the object, then excitedly describes the unscrewing of an opening in the object. $ Purchase The Martians emerge from their landing craft as Carl Phillips reports. $ Purchase Carl Phillips reports as the Martians annihilate the surrounding area with a Heat Ray, while CBS News reports they are unable to continue the broadcast after several tense moments of silence. $ Purchase (Excerpt from above) - Carl Phillips reports as the Martians annihilate the surrounding area with a Heat Ray, followed by dead air as the transmission ceases. $ Purchase (Excerpt from ww22.wav) - CBS News reports their inability to continue broadcasting from Grovers Mill as "difficulty with their field transmission" after the Martians destroy their broadcasting equipment. $ Purchase CBS News reports on massacre at Grovers Mill without mentioning "Martians", then N.J. State Militia Brig. Gen. Montgomery Smith declares Martial Law though Central New Jersey. $ Purchase After concluding Gen. Smith's broadcast, CBS News reports the "strange creatures" crawled back in their pit and made no efforts to prevent fire control & body recovery efforts. $ Purchase CBS News reports the body of Carl Phillips identified in a Trenton Hospital. $ Purchase CBS V.P. of Operations Harry McDonald announces the turning over of their broadcasting facilites to the State Militia at Trenton. $ Purchase News Announcer breaks to the State Militia Field Headquarters outside Grovers Mill, while Signal Corp Capt. Lancing reports & debunks on the situation developing at the scene of military operations. $ Purchase Capt. Lancing reports on the emergence of the Martian Tripod Machine out of their landing pit. $ Purchase A different CBS Announcer takes over transmission & makes first broadcast admission of a Martian Invasion. $ Purchase CBS Announcer breaks to Washington for speech by the Interior Secretary (originally cast to be President Franklin Roosevelt, as the sound of the voice demonstrates). $ Purchase CBS Announcer: "Bulletins too numerous are piling up in the studio here." $ Purchase CBS Announcer: "It is feared he was lost in the recent battle." $ Purchase CBS Announcer: "Scouting Planes report three Martian Machines visible above treetops.....". $ Purchase CBS Announcer: "Their apparent objective is to crush resistance, paralyse communication and disorganize human society." $ Purchase CBS Announcer: "A fleet of Army Bombers carrying heavy explosive flying North in pursuit of enemy." $ Purchase CBS Announcer breaks to live broadcast from a 22nd Field Artillery Battery in the Watchung Mountains . $ Purchase The sound of a gun firing at the Martian Machines (which was actually.....a flushing toilet!). $ Purchase Live coverage of Lt. Voight's cockpit transmissions over Bayonne NJ as USAAF Bombers close on six Martain Tripod Machines that discharge poison gas as they rush Northwards. $ Purchase Lt. Voight reports the Martian Machines crossing the Passaic River in an Eastward turn towards New York City, observes one "straddling the Pulaski Skyway" while some others destroy a Power Station, then reports the Bomber Group "ready to strike". $ Purchase Bomber Group destroyed by Heat Ray as they make a suicide attack on the Martian Machines. $ Purchase Bayonne NJ Army Radio Station informs the Bomber Group's home airfield (Langam Field, Virginia) of the destruction of the Group, the destruction of a Martian Machine, and the discharge of poison gas by the Martians, then transmission abruptly ends. $ Purchase Newark NJ Radio Station makes Public Service announcement regarding Poison Gas pouring in from adjacent marshlands, then abruptly ends transmission. $ Purchase Having had several identifiable Broadcasting Stations cease transmissions, two stations identified by call letters attempt to establish mutual contact when one also abruptly goes off the air. $ Purchase Live Rooftop Vigil by CBS News Report atop "Broacasting Building New York City" as the Martians approach, promptly discharge poison smoke and annihilate the population of N.Y.C. $ Purchase (Excerpt from above) - Martians arrive at N.Y.C., CBS Reporter announces "Martian Cylinders are falling all over the country....", and the Martians annihilate the population of N.Y.C. with poisonous black smoke. $ Purchase (Excerpt from ww52.wav) - The End of New York City. $ Purchase In the last broadcast segment of live air dramatization, the lone Radio Station 2X2L attempts vainly to contact anyone on the air. $ Purchase At the conclusion of the last broadcast segment of live air dramatization, CBS Radio makes its first public disclaimer by announcing the public has been listening to a dramatization, breaks for an intermission and makes a Network I.D.. $ Purchase After intermission, the CBS Announcer begins the remainder of the dramatization. $ Purchase A clearly shaken Orson Welles explains the demise of the Martians by disease near the end of the dramatization. $ Purchase A clearly angry Orson Welles, while staring down New York City Policemen in the studio unbeknownst by the listening public, comments on how people can see further now, rather than believe life doesn't exist elswhere, as a result of the Martian Invasion. $ Purchase Immediately after the conclusion of the dramatization, Orson Welles steps out of character and makes a public disclaimer regarding the broadcast. $ Purchase The Broadcast conclusion. $ Purchase