Hodges meteorite
| Sylacauga | |
|---|---|
A slice of the meteorite, the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian, DC
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| Type | Chondrite |
| Class | Ordinary chondrite |
| Group | H4 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Alabama |
| Coordinates | 33°11′18.1″N 86°17′40.2″W / 33.188361°N 86.294500°WCoordinates: 33°11′18.1″N 86°17′40.2″W / 33.188361°N 86.294500°W |
| Observed fall | Yes |
| Fall date | 18:46 UT on November 30, 1954 |
| TKW | 5.56 kg |
| Strewn field | Yes |
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The Sylacauga meteorite fell on November 30, 1954, at 13:46 local time (18:46 UT) in Oak Grove, Alabama, near Sylacauga. It is commonly called the Hodges meteorite because a fragment of it struck Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges (1920–1972).
The Sylacauga meteorite is the first documented extraterrestrial object to have injured a human being in the USA. The grapefruit-sized fragment crashed through the roof of a frame house, bounced off a large wooden console radio, and hit Hodges while she napped on a couch. The 34-year-old woman was badly bruised on one side of her body but able to walk. The event received worldwide publicity.
The Sylacauga meteorite was the first verified extraterrestrial object to hit a human being. A manuscript published at Tortona, Italy, in 1677 tells of a Milanese friar who was killed by a meteorite. In 1992 a small meteorite fragment (3 g) hit a young Ugandan boy in Mbale, but it had been slowed down by a tree and did not cause any injury.
The meteor made a fireball visible from three states as it streaked through the atmosphere, even though it fell early in the afternoon. There were also indications of an air blast, as witnesses described hearing "explosions or loud booms".
The meteorite was confiscated by the Sylacauga police chief who then turned it over to the United States Air Force. Both the Hodgeses and their landlord, Bertie Guy, claimed the rock, Guy's claim being that it had fallen on her property. There were offers of up to $5,000 for the meteorite. The Hodgeses and Bertie Guy settled, with the Hodgeses paying $500 for the rock. However, by the time it was returned to the Hodgeses, over a year later, public attention had diminished, and they were unable to then find a buyer.
Ann Hodges was uncomfortable with the public attention and the stress of the dispute over ownership of the meteorite. The Hodgeses donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History in 1956.
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Wikipedia