In 1929, the Guardian asked readers what they would say to potential inhabitants of Mars. Their answers ranged from requests for cancer cures, to a cricket team challenge
• Don’t get Cluesletter, our weekly puzzles newsletter, delivered to your inbox? Sign up here
If you could send a message to the Martians, what would you say to them?
That was the question the Guardian asked readers in 1929 when the newspaper launched a new competitions page. The challenge sat alongside the first crossword puzzle, and posed a different sort of challenge from the puzzles and games we publish today.
![[Aggregator] Downloaded image for imported item #53629 ‘Do you eat?’ What happened when Guardian readers tried to contact Martians](https://pulseheadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/6250.webp)