Radio Save: When Ann Hodges was hit by a meteorite

It only happened twice in history, but Ann was the first: it is more likely to be hit by a tornado, lightning and a hurricane at the same time than being hit by a meteorite.

It was just over 70 years ago that Ann Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama, USA, became the first doment to be hit by a meteorite.

The 34 -year -old woman was taking a nap in the living room when the bizarre event happened, reaching her hip, but a whole nation with a blow of curiosity and fascination.

While sleeping, Ann was hit by the fragment of Sylacauga Meteoritewho had, milliseconds before, crossed the roof of the house that rented in Oak Grove, in November 30, 1954.

The woman got a huge bruise in the Anca and Coxa area, but fortunately she was unharmed with more serious injuries. The blanket that covered it in that sleep supported the space object that tore the heavens and its roof, but it was its radio, which absorbed the first impact of the meteorite, which saved it and avoided more serious injuries.

Listening to a crash and the cry of her daughter, the mother of Hodges, who was in another division, ran unknowingly (obviously) what had happened. Who could not even dream about this?

The meteorite, with 3.85 kg, was later classified as condrito – A rocky meteorite composed of iron and nickel – With about 4.5 billion yearsdating from the formation of the solar system. Experts believe that it will have originated from the Asteroid 1685 Torobefore entering the earthly atmosphere, recalls the.

As it came down, the meteorite fragmented: one part hit Hodges and another was discovered a few kilometers further by a farmer, Julius Kampis McKinney, who sold it and used the money to buy a home and a car.

The news of the impact spread quickly through Sylacauga, by phone and mouth. In an instant, neighbors join the police at Ann Hodges’ house. A doctor was called, although Hodges was not seriously injured, and the authorities, including the Air Force, initially confiscated the rock to determine if it was a meteorite or an alien flying saucer.

Confirmed as a meteorite, Hodges initially had legal problems due to damage to the property that was rented. The landlord claimed that the meteorite belonged to him for falling on his property. Later, he agreed to receive $ 500, allowing Hodges to keep the meteorite in his possession, something that would change later.

The extraordinary event turned Hodges into a temporary celebrity in the US. It appeared at Garry Moore’s famous television show, “I’m Got A Secret”, and has been corresponding from fans from various groups, although he preferred to maintain his privacy. Over time, Hodges donated the meteorite To Alabama Museum of Natural History, asking only to reimburse the lawyer expenses.

The incident also affected your marriage: Husband Eugene unsuccessfully tried to sell the meteoriteleading to the couple’s divorce in 1964.

Hodges would die in 1972 at the age of 52, a victim of kidney failure. But the story, although little known, continues to fascinate the world. Mary Beth Essei of Alabama Museum of Natural History described it as “one of those local legends that few people know”, and recalls that the meteorite is currently valued at over one million dollars. Scientists highlight the rarity of these events: the astronomer Michael Reynolds of Florida State College told the National Geographic that It is more likely to be hit by a tornado, lightning and a hurricane at the same time than being hit by a meteorite.

On July 6, 2023, also to a woman: she was having coffee with a friend in the courtyard of her home in Schirmeck, northeast of France, when she was unexpectedly hit by a meteorite.

In June this year, a man in McDonough, Georgia, to the rare club of meteorites victims as fragments of a meteorite crossed his roof, kneaded the floor and almost hit him for about four meters. Researchers at the University of Georgia reported that the meteorite was probably formed 4.56 billion yearsprior to the earth, producing a perceptible Solic effect on impact.