During the 1877 Martian opposition, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835–1910) observed the red planet and produced a series of drawings which included an intricate array of channels. He naturally referred to these structures as canali, the Italian word for ‘channels.’ The image below, a reproduction published in 1962 by the US Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, displays these markings in the locations that Schiaparelli indicated.

His observations captivated many scientists and lay people alike, many of whom mistranslated the word ‘canali’ as ‘canals.’* ‘The word ‘channel’ differs significantly from the word ‘canal,’ for while winds and other natural phenomena can sculpt the former, the latter implies the presence of an intelligence. The existence of ‘Martian canals’ particularly intrigued Percival Lowell (1855–1916), a wealthy entrepreneur and passionate astronomy enthusiast. He developed a theory that these ‘canals’ were constructed by a race of Martians desperately trying to irrigate their lands in response to a planet-wide drought. Lowell was so convinced in his theory that he funded the construction of the Lowell Observatory, which was completed in 1894.** His stated aim was to find Martians

We'll find any excuse to include Marvin

Lowell was not actually expecting to see Martians frantically scurrying about like an ant swarm. Even if they existed, such small creatures could never be resolvable over such large distances. Instead, he hoped to observe the canals expanding as the parched Martians worked indefatigably to save themselves from extinction.

Lowell’s work eventually drew the attention of British author HG Wells (1866–1946) who wrote ‘War of the Worlds’ as a serial novel between the years 1895–1897. This highly-acclaimed novel imagined an invasion by desperate Martians determined to conquer Earth and extract its resources. The implication was that Mars, itself, had become depleted of its own resources either through geological processes or the gross mismanagement of them by the Martians. (Yes, Wells intended his work as a cautionary tale.)

On Halloween night 1938 the aptly named “Mercury Theatre on the Air” produced a radio dramatization of this novel with Orson Welles -no relation, obviously- as the narrator. The show was designed as a faux news broadcast about a Martian invasion. Despite the inclusion of disclaimers which indicated that the broadcast was fictional, something of a panic ensued in many regions around the country. We should mention that the extent of that panic has become highly exaggerated. Many listeners were indeed frightened by the broadcast, but the notion that hundreds or even thousand perished either by suicide or in resultant stampedes is wholly false.

However, a minor panic did occur, as noted by the New York Times:

So, a panic erupts after a 1938 radio broadcast about a Martian invasion that was based on a novel written by a man who based his work on Lowell’s theory that Martians were building canals. This theory was predicated on a mistranslation of the Italian word ‘canali,’ which actually means ‘channels.’ And, as it turns out, these channels don’t even exist in the first place. Instead, as some researchers believe, Schiaparelli was likely just seeing a reflection of veins within his own eye!

Whether or not astronomy ends up being a net positive for humanity is an issue that may never be resolved.

*One exasperated linguist was purported to have once lamented, ‘So many people think Italian is just English augmented with superfluous vowels.’

**This observatory, located in Arizona, has become one of the world’s most famous astronomical research facilities. It was here that Vesto Slipher (1875–1969) made the first observations related to the Universal expansion. Also noteworthy: American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh (1906–1997) discovered Pluto in 1930 while working on the Lowell Observatory staff.