10 Shocking Broadcasts That Triggered Mayhem

Nearly everyone is aware of Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds broadcast. While it's uncertain just how much hysteria it truly caused (some claim newspapers were keen to discredit the emerging radio as an untrustworthy medium), the undeniable influence of broadcasting to capture a massive audience in a brief moment is clear. Like all forms of power, it can be wielded—and sometimes misused—for significant impact.

10. BBC Radio Scare - January 16, 1926

Twelve years before Orson Welles’s infamous broadcast, Father Ronald Knox, a Catholic priest and BBC commentator, stunned Britain by reporting that angry, unemployed mobs had risen in revolt in London. He vividly depicted the destruction of Big Ben and the devastation of key government buildings, even including the lynching of a government minister. While he subtly hinted that the broadcast was a ruse, his audience—still fresh from the memory of the Russian Revolution—was taken in.

Worried listeners overwhelmed the BBC with calls. The situation was further exacerbated by heavy snowfall, which delayed the delivery of newspapers, amplifying public anxiety.

After the hoax was exposed, Knox faced intense backlash but avoided any punishment. He continued creating similar hoaxes, and the BBC later celebrated his prank by making it the model for all future April Fools’ Day broadcasts.

9. Sea Monster Strikes Tokyo - May 20, 1947

In a scene reminiscent of Godzilla, the US military’s radio station WVTR broadcasted a report claiming that a colossal sea monster had emerged off the coast of Tokyo and was charging toward the city. Though the broadcast was meant as a playful part of their station’s anniversary celebration, it ignited widespread panic among both the local residents and occupying forces, prompting US personnel and Japanese police to scramble to find the mythical creature.

A British officer reached out to confirm the station’s report after his soldiers requested weapons to combat the monster. According to one station member, even MacArthur himself called in to verify the authenticity of the broadcast.

After the hoax was exposed, the US army’s highest officials reprimanded the individuals responsible and dismissed them from the station. While their post-hoax fate was never officially revealed, it is believed they were likely sent to Korea as punishment for their actions.

8. Great Blue Hill Eruption Hoax - April 1, 1980

Boston’s Channel 7 terrified residents of Milton, Massachusetts when they aired a report during their evening segment claiming that the nearby Great Blue Hill had erupted. To make the hoax appear legitimate, the station showed footage from a week earlier of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens and suggested that it might have caused the hill to erupt as well. They even included voiceovers from President Carter and the governor expressing their concern about the situation.

Although the newscaster held up a sign reading “April Fools” at the end of the report, the damage had already been done. Alarmed residents flooded local authorities with calls asking for evacuation routes, while some simply packed their bags and drove off. The uproar that followed the hoax led the station to issue an apology and fire the producer behind the stunt.

7. The Sibuxiang Beast - September 19, 1994

Residents of Taiyuan in northern China were thrown into a frenzy when a local TV station broadcasted a report claiming that a terrifying creature known as the “Sibuxiang Beast” was heading toward their city. In panic, people barricaded themselves inside their homes, while others desperately called authorities for help. When the beast finally arrived, it turned out to be a new brand of liquor instead.

The “Sibuxiang Beast” broadcast was actually an advertisement. However, viewers, accustomed to straightforward product commercials, mistook it for a genuine news report.

Though Jing Huiwen, the owner of the advertising firm behind the ad, was later compelled to apologize and pay a fine, the massive publicity turned the Sibuxiang brand into a household name, and the firm’s client base grew fourfold. Foreign analysts saw the incident as the start of capitalist creativity in China.

6. Emergency Broadcast Panic of 1971 - February 20, 1971

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in constant apocalyptic scenarios. So, it’s not surprising that Americans were gripped by panic when radio and TV stations nationwide mysteriously went silent and aired a message from NORAD urging citizens to await an emergency message from the government.

For the public, this could only mean one thing: World War III had begun. But after what must have felt like an eternity, NORAD finally called off the broadcast, much to the relief of the entire nation.

The cause of the confusion was a mistake by Wayne Eberhardt, a civilian employee at the National Emergency Warning Center in Colorado, who had accidentally loaded a tape with a code for a real emergency warning instead of a practice tape, sending it to radio and TV stations across the country. Despite the chaos, Eberhardt, who was just as rattled as the public by the blunder, kept his job. His supervisor promptly relocated the real warning tapes far from the transmitter to prevent future mishaps.

5. Georgian News Report Hoax - March 13, 2010

Do you recall the five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008? Well, two years later, the people of Georgia were sent into a state of panic when Imedi TV broadcasted that Russian forces were once again advancing toward Georgia and that their pro-Western president Mikheil Saakashvili had been assassinated.

Although the broadcast was just a simulation, and the station made this clear, it still looked alarmingly real. The footage, which included scenes from the 2008 war, caused mass hysteria. People flooded the phone lines and began to evacuate the capital, while Georgian military and civil forces prepared for battle. Tragically, the shock led to some fatalities, including an elderly man who died of a stroke and a young soldier who had a fatal heart attack.

After the chaos, Imedi TV’s owner, George Arveladze, apologized for the turmoil caused but justified the broadcast as a response to the real threat of a Russian invasion, showing how such an event could unfold in the future.

4. British Airways False Emergency Landing - January 17, 2012

Imagine the panic that British Airways passengers experienced when an erroneous crash landing message was broadcasted over the plane’s speakers.

At 3:00 AM, passengers aboard the Miami-London flight were alarmed by a message claiming the plane would soon make an emergency water landing. Many passengers feared for their lives, but after 30 seconds, the cabin crew clarified that it had been a false alarm and apologized for the confusion.

British Airways declined to provide further details about the cause of the mishap, whether it was due to human error or a technical glitch. However, the cabin crew explained that the pilot had mistakenly pressed the wrong button. This was not the first time such an incident had occurred; a similar situation took place the previous year on a British Airways flight to Hong Kong, also caused by an incorrect button press.

3. War Of The Worlds (Ecuadorian Edition) – February 12, 1949

Chaos erupted in Quito, Ecuador, after Quito Radio aired a Spanish version of Orson Welles’s infamous 'War of the Worlds' broadcast. Panic swept through the streets, with people seeking refuge in churches, fearing an alien invasion. However, once the ruse was revealed, anger took over, and a violent mob set fire to the radio station building. Staff members attempting to flee were attacked by the crowd.

The radio station suffered significant damage, with losses exceeding $300,000, and between 6 to 20 lives were claimed in the incident. Only when the military and police intervened was the unrest brought to an end.

In an eerie twist reminiscent of urban legends, it was said that the announcer, Leonardo Paez, was last seen standing atop the burning building before vanishing. However, his daughter later disclosed that Paez had gone underground for a time before his case was reviewed and ultimately dismissed by a court. He eventually moved to Venezuela.

2. The Yes Men’s Dow Compensation Hoax – December 3, 2004

Dow Chemical has long been criticized for its corporate actions driven solely by profit, often at the expense of ethics. This reputation was further cemented when a group of activists known as the “Yes Men” decided to demonstrate to the public what they believed Dow should be doing instead.

One of the activists impersonated a Dow spokesperson on BBC, announcing that the company had experienced a change of heart. Dow would now provide $12 billion in compensation to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal disaster, which has remained one of the deadliest industrial tragedies in history – a disaster that Dow has persistently avoided taking responsibility for. The announcement led to a $2 billion drop in the company’s market value.

In response, Dow issued a quick statement denying any plans to compensate the victims, which helped restore the company’s stock value. However, it also made Dow appear callous and inconsiderate.

While the hoax gave thousands of victims a brief glimmer of hope before dashing it, the Yes Men later explained that their aim was to pressure Dow into finally acknowledging its responsibility for the Bhopal disaster.

1. Philippines Flesh-Eating Disease Hoax – February 24, 2014

In a modern-day twist on mass hysteria, residents of Pangasinan in the Philippines and netizens alike fell into a frenzy after an April 2013 prophecy from an Indian preacher was linked to two individuals suffering from a so-called 'mysterious illness.' The situation was worsened when ABS-CBN, the nation's leading news station, sent a reporter to investigate while clad in full protective gear as they interviewed the patients.

After a thorough investigation by health authorities, it was revealed that the two patients were actually suffering from leprosy and psoriasis, respectively. This clarification prompted the news station to issue an apology, while also stating that their main goal was to determine whether or not the flesh-eating disease was real.