We had to listen to this broadcast: http://www.radiolab.org/popup_player/# 

They talk about how many people did not know that this was originally just a joke and it brought on a mass panic from most people. They talk about if they lived back in that time, would they believe this was actually happening as well? Honestly, I think I would definitely think it was real back then. The sounds and dramatizations sound extremely real. Even though it says it was in mars, I would have believed it. The fact that they kept going on with the play would make me believe even more. 

The big question is, is will this happen again? I could definitely see someone trying to reinacte this to try and trick people in these days, but I dont think it would work. There are way too man social media networks and phones etc that the word would travel so fast, that it would ruin the perception of what is happening.