The War of the Worlds Hoax "Martian cylinders are falling all over the country!" proclaimed a voice on the radio. It was
Halloween night, 1938, and Orson Welles was in the midst of a performance of the H. G.
Wells story The War of the Worlds. Most listeners were aware that it was fiction; after all,
an explanatory announcement had been given at the program's beginning. However,
listeners who tuned in late missed the program's introduction. In addition, Welles was a
magnificent performer, interspersing his "report" with sound effects and eyewitness
"interviews." Consequently, some audience members believed they were hearing a real
news account. They listened in increasing terror as Welles described the "invading army
from the planet Mars." Fearing for their lives, some took refuge in their basements or fled
their homes When Welles concluded the show with the admission that it had been a
Halloween prank, reactions ranged from amusement to fury.

What is the main idea of the passage?