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Navy was ordered to listen for Martians in 1924
Ever wonder how everybody could be so gullible back in 1938 that they'd so easily fall for Orson Welles' Halloween hoax, and buy into the fact that the U.S. was really in the middle of a Martian invasion? Well, the hip historians over at Letters of Note have uncovered a document from a dozen years earlier that proves just how ready the country was to believe in intelligent life on the Red Planet in the early part of the last century.
Turns out that during the 1924 Mars opposition—when Mars would be closer to Earth than it had been since 1804—the secretary of the Navy sent a telegram to all naval stations asking them to "COOPERATE ASTRONOMERS WHO BELIEVE POSSIBLE THAT MARS MAY ATTEMPT COMMUNICATION BY RADIO WAVES WITH THIS PLANET WHILE THEY ARE NEAR TOGETHER."
The result of the three-day exercise? Nothing but static. Which means there weren't any Martians back then after all.
Or maybe it's just that once they got a good look at us, they decided—why bother?
By closettrekkie at 3:07 PM ON 11/07/09
Maybe its because we have,nt invented warp drive yet
By Antodav at 3:24 PM ON 11/07/09
Mars belongs to us!
By Obi Window Washer at 3:29 PM ON 11/07/09
With World War II brewing in Europe people were scared. I remember my grandmother telling me that her father, shotgun in hand ushered her, her mother, brothers and sisters (a big old Irish family) into the root celler and they didn't come out until the next morning. Needless to say great grandad was embarassed when it was revealed to be a "hoax".
By Omen at 4:11 PM ON 11/07/09
They will only talk to Uncle Martin.
He's their favorite.
By scifiradioguy at 6:22 PM ON 11/07/09
What about Fred Norris from the Howard Stern Show? Does he know about this?
By Kalcean at 7:20 PM ON 11/07/09
Maybe the martians figured we'd leave them alone and stop all the invasion theories in our stories if the pretend not to exist.
By tb83 at 8:41 PM ON 11/07/09
NANO! NANO!
By divephotog at 9:05 PM ON 11/07/09
The 50'salso saw a resurgence in the paranoia. The Air Force had considered setting down standing orders for ET contact, as had the Army, and though it is deniable, bet they have something written for protocols somewhere for the possible future event. (Especially with Sci-Fi's tendency to portray them badly) There have already been Space WarGames as well, reportedly. Bet they hate admitting it - kh
By tb83 at 9:52 PM ON 11/07/09
I bet Tom Cruise wishes he was alive when this happened
By Captain Calvin Grant at 2:12 AM ON 11/08/09
The Doctor did warn us about the Ice Warriors invasion plans. So I think there trying to con us in a false sense of security.
By Mumbo at 8:34 AM ON 11/08/09
If there really are Martians up there, I wish they would help us out with a few things:
1.) How about some repairs on Spirit and Opportunity? NASA might get another few years out of those things.
2.) We could use a little help with the Space Elevator project going on. We got some good basic designs, but will need some fine-tuning advise.
3.) Let me know if I can finally take off this tin-foil hat I've been wearing for the past several years.
By SethSJ at 1:24 PM ON 11/08/09
If an intelligent life form did come to Earth, I doubt it would be in peace. I would especially question their arrival, whether in peace or not, if it happened after 12/21/12. If you believe what will happen on that date.
By LeeAGraff at 3:55 PM ON 11/08/09
I'm always surprised by the common idea that life from other worlds would be more advanced than us. At some point in the course of time there would have to be one planet that achieves space travel and beyond first before all others. Is it not possible that we could be the most advanced species in the universe? Someone has to be first, why not us?
By A Visitng Martian at 5:36 PM ON 11/08/09
We are already here, and find amusement with your comments. Come, and visit us once you have advanced enough to create your first Neutrino pulse drive.
By bob at 7:08 PM ON 11/08/09
OMG! Can you explain the reoccuring dreams i have about alien anal probes?
By ericf at 2:07 AM ON 11/09/09
The weird thing about War of the Worlds is it wasn't written for people paranoid about invasion. It was written for the British Empire at its height. In other words, powerful people who thought they were untouchable.
By malohombre at 12:00 PM ON 11/09/09
I don't know about mars but I think you pulled this story from Uranus!!!
By MUADIB at 2:56 PM ON 11/09/09
tHEY WANTED THAT DAMN ILLUDUIUM Q-36 EXPLOSIVE SPACE MODULATOR, OL' MARVIN HAD .
By jdmimic at 3:07 PM ON 11/09/09
@LeeAGraff
It's not that all alien life would be more advancd than us, it's that any alien life that visits us would be more advanced. If they are less advanced than us, we would not know of them since we can't visit them. If they visit us, then by definition they are more advanced.
By Gill Avila at 6:25 PM ON 11/09/09
By bob at 7:08 PM ON 11/08/09
***OMG! Can you explain the reoccuring dreams i have about alien anal probes?***
Bob, they're not dreams...
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
Gill Avila:
By bob at 7:08 PM ON 11/08/09 ***OMG! Can you explain the reoccuring dreams i have about alien anal probes?*** Bo...More »