[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Without going to the link I will assume the original War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, Orson Wells’ broadcast.

An earlier panic was 1910, when Haley’s Comet was supposed to wipe out all life on Earth. Some people actually committed suicide rather than be gassed.

Nothing happened.

[knarf]

The links are not dangerous to your mind and entirely different from Halley's Comet.

This was 1938 radio .... the 4g high speed internet of the time.

THIS explains it

here's the untold story behind how it happened .... a lot like today