Panic Station

be met with violence or even death. Still, the consequences didn't stop them. They refused to stay quiet, and in doing so, cemented their place in history as champions of free speech. The first was Pasquino, a tailor so talented he managed to work his way into the Vatican. Nobody there paid much attention to a tailor, and so they didn't think twice when discussing sensitive topics around him, Pasquino would eavesdrop and collect valuable bits of gossip, which would

then be spread to his friends and family. Then there was Marforio, who spent much of his time in the water, lazing and about. He would often carry with him funny poems and satires written by others, showing them to all who passed by, and those pieces were almost always directed toward powerful government figures, which I'm sure made a lot of people very uncomfortable. Then there was abbott Luigi, who

actually worked in government, despite his disdain for it. He spent most of his time at the Palazzo Vedoni Cafarelli, a massive palace designed by a student of the great artist Raphael He openly admonished his peers and superiors whenever possible. Madame Lucreza was the only woman among the bunch. She had suffered some terrible accidents during her life which affected her face. Still she didn't let it stop her from spreading her biting critique at those at the top. Next

there was Ill Babuino. Although that wasn't his real name, he was called that the Italian phrase for the baboon, due to his unfortunate looks and deformities. Maybe it was because he felt like half a man that he grew so angry at his country's leaders. And finally, there was Ill Faciano. He was a humble water salesman during a time when the Roman aqueducts were in desperate need of repair. He like the other five people of his time, was not afraid to voice his opinions, and he suffered greatly

for it. People in town sometimes threw stones at him, which badly damaged his face. These six figures were rebels at a time when rebellion, especially against the Church, was a dangerous endeavor. They were known as the Congregation of Wits, and modern rebels can pay tribute to them today. They were the original kings and queen of Roman gossip, and they still hang around all over the city. That's because their statues, known as the talking Statues of Rome, they

hadn't been created with satire in mind. Pasquino was actually a representation of Menelais, the mythical king of Sparta who married Helen of Troy. Marforio loved the water because he was a sculpture of a river god thought to be either Jupiter or Neptune, and Madame Lucretz's face wasn't always deformed. Back in her heyday, she was thought to have been

a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis. The toga clad abbot Luigi was the statue of a magistrate conveying ill will toward the pope, which didn't sit well with Vatican leaders. Ill Babuino was a mythical half go taff Man creature, and il Facino depicted a more modern sixteenth century man. Like I said, these statues weren't satirical creations in and

of themselves. Instead, romans imposed that on them. They would write on these statues or stick little poems and critiques of authority to them in the middle of the night. If they were ever caught, they could face jail or have their offending hand cut off. Heck, if the graffiti was bad enough, execution was even an option. Despite the punishments, though, people continue to put up their writings for generations, and as those in power got tired of seeing them, the

statues were either vandalized or moved elsewhere. Mexican painter Diego Rivera once said, the role of the artist is that of the soldier in the revolution, and while the original artists behind these statues might not have been revolutionaries, those in the lower class who used them certainly were back then, though the authorities hadn't yet learned the most important rule on the Internet today, never read the comments in Risk sponds to Virginia O'Hanlon, a New York Sun editor named

Francis Church stated without a doubt that, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Fans of class at Christmas films know those words all too well. However, it was another line in Virginia's original letter that encapsulated the public's belief in the media. If you see it in the Sun, it is so you see. Before cable news and am radio turned everyone into skeptics, people had faith in what they read and listened to. If it came from the mouth or pen of a trusted journalist, it must have

been true. And then in all hell broke loose. On October, the day before Halloween, a radio broadcast went out all across America. When it did, it caused a panic from coast to coast and everywhere in between. The first bulletins came in from an observatory in Chicago, where it was reported that explosions had been spotted on the surface of Mars. Minutes later, an earthquake was felt only miles outside of Princeton, New Jersey. Originally thought to be a media rite, a

later update revealed another impact not far from Trenton. It was clear that New Jersey was under attack Onlookers and police watched. As the top of the unidentified object came off, something emerged from inside, its wide black eyes, reflecting back at the crowd. A hum could be heard, getting louder and louder as the creature extended its long, snake like tentacles. Suddenly, a fire engulfed the officers approaching the craft. More explosions

followed than reports of the dead started coming in. Forty people had been found burned to the bone in a nearby field. The United States military had been dispatched to several counties in New Jersey as martial law was declared throughout the state. One hour later, the broadcaster came back to announce what you most likely already know that everyone had been listening to, a dramatization of the classic H. G. Wells sci fi story The War of the World's presented

orson Wells. The aftermath of the broadcast is widely known and still debated today. Despite the sensationalist headlines from newspapers like The New York Times, it's unclear just how much of the country truly panicked during the program, but it was enough to force the police to actually visit the station to shut things down. Page boys and CBS employees had to hold them back as well as continued to

push the envelope. Meanwhile, CBSS switchboard was overrun with calls from Midwestern towns where riots had broken out mobs had flooded the streets. In the town of Concrete, Washington, the phone lines were so overloaded that they shored it out, causing a town wide blackout that probably didn't help to calm their fears. The story of Wells presentation isn't that unknown. It's a cautionary tale, meant to symbolize that we need

to vet information instead of taking it at face value. However, America's response to the War of the Worlds was only the tip of the iceberg, because the broadcast was recreated six years later in Chile. It had been rewritten to fit the new setting, of course, but all the telltale signs were still there, reports of explosions, death, and mass hysteria. Except unlike in America, where many folks suspected they were listening to a work of fiction, Chileans had no idea.

The governor really fought aliens had invaded. He was so scared he organized the Chilean military to fight them off. Then in the show was changed again for an Ecuadorian audience. The only difference in this case was that the riots didn't start until after the broadcast was over. Upon learning that the whole thing had been a hoax, locals burned down both the radio station and the newspaper building. Twenty people lost their lives that day, and over three fifty

thousand dollars in damage was reported. Among those arrested for the crimes were three of the broadcasters themselves, who had caused the panic in the first place. Today, as so much of the news that's reported has shifted towards entertainment, it's more and more difficult to the fiction Amongst the fact. Conspiracy theorists want us to believe that everything is a massive plot or cover up run by the world's elite.

The rest of us are left searching through it all for the truth, like searching for needles in a haystack. I know we often lament that our world just isn't what it used to be, but some things haven't changed. After all, that old bit of advice is still as relevant as it's ever been. Don't believe everything you hear. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities, subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com.

The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curi is m