10 Outrageous Broadcasts That Caused Mayhem

Almost everyone knows about Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds broadcast. Although it is unclear just how much chaos it caused (some say newspapers wanted to trash the relatively new radio as an unreliable medium), no one can deny the power of broadcasting to reach a wide audience in a short span of time. And like any other power, it can be used—and abused—to great effect.

10 BBC Radio PanicJanuary 16, 1926

In an incident that preceded Orson Welles’s broadcast by 12 years, Catholic priest and BBC commentator Father Ronald Knox shocked Britain by saying that mobs of angry unemployed workers had revolted in London. Knox [amazon asin=B000VXWK86&template=*lrc ad (left)]vividly described the destruction of Big Ben and key government buildings, along with the lynching of a minister. Although he subtly hinted that the broadcast was a hoax, his audience—still mindful of the recent Russian Revolution—were taken in.

Concerned listeners swamped the BBC with calls. It didn’t help that a heavy snowfall hampered the delivery of newspapers, adding to their anxiety.

After the hoax was cleared up, Knox received heavy criticism but was not punished. He continued making hoax broadcasts, with BBC later honoring him when they made his prank the standard for all future April Fools’ Day broadcasts.[amazon asin=B00IYU1FZW&template=*lrc ad (right)]

9 Sea Monster Attacks TokyoMay 20, 1947

In a scene straight out of Godzilla, the US army’s radio station WVTR announced that a giant sea monster had risen off the coast of Tokyo and was rampaging its way toward the capital. Although the perpetrators intended the broadcast as a humorous part of their station’s anniversary celebration, it instead sparked panic among the local populace and the occupying forces, with US personnel and Japanese police mobilizing to track down the [amazon asin=B00AEBB8VK&template=*lrc ad (left)]monster.

One British officer called to verify the station’s reports because his men were demanding weapons to fight the beast. According to one station member, even MacArthur himself called in to confirm their broadcast.

After the hoax was revealed, the US army’s top brass lambasted the perpetrators and removed them from the station. Although their fates were not announced after the debacle, they were likely sent to Korea afterward as punishment.[amazon asin=B00300YLP2&template=*lrc ad (right)]

8 Great Blue Hill Eruption HoaxApril 1, 1980

Boston’s Channel 7 gave residents of Milton, Massachusetts the scare of a lifetime when they reported during their evening segment that the nearby Great Blue Hill had just erupted. To make it all look real, the station showed week-old footage of an erupting Mt. St. Helens and explained that it may have caused the hill to also erupt. The station added voice-overs from President Carter and the governor expressing their concern for the situation.

Although the newscaster displayed a placard labeled “April Fools” at the end of the report, the damage was done. Panicked locals deluged local authorities with calls asking for the best routes to evacuate, while others just packed their bags and drove off. Furor after the hoax was discovered caused the station to later apologize and fire the producer who came up with the stunt.

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