In 1954, geologists came across the first recorded case of a meteorite colliding with a human being. Ann Hodges had the unfortunate luck of being that person.
Jay Leviton / The LIFE Images Collection / Getty ImagesAnn Hodges ’ medico demo off her bruise , do by the meteorite .
harmonise to stargazer , Ann Hodges had a better chance of getting captivate in a tornado , struck by lightning , and swept up in a hurricane all at the same fourth dimension than she did being reach by a meteorite . But in 1954 , it appeared thatthe betting odds were in her favor .
In the early good afternoon of November 30 , Ann Hodges was catch a wink peacefully on her couch when she was awoken by a grapefruit - sized piece of rock ‘n’ roll slamming into her left side . The rock and roll had crashed through the roof of her Sylacauga , Alabama home , bounced off of her expectant wooden console radio , and straight into her as she slumbered .
Jay Leviton/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesAnn Hodges’ doctor shows off her bruise, caused by the meteorite.
Though she did n’t be intimate it yet , Hodges and her rock were about to become famous : for the first time in history , an extraterrestrial aim had collided with a human being on its way down to earth .
The grapefruit - sized rock that had hurtled into Hodges was actually a piece of meteorite . Though Hodges herself had been asleep at the time , other residents of Sylacauga reported seeing “ a bright reddish illumination ” streaking across the sky , “ like a popish cd trailing sess . ” Some liken it to “ a fireball , like a gigantic welding arc , ” followed by explosions and a brown swarm .
Due to the curiosity of falling meteorite sighting , the townspeople ’s first thought was that a airplane had crashed . Some surmise a Soviet attack . A governance geologist who had been working at a nearby quarry was call in in and determined that the crash was just a meteorite , though that did n’t quell the media storm . Instead , people constellate to Ann Hodges ’ door , look for a piece of the action mechanism – and the meteorite .
Jay Leviton/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesThe hole made by the meteorite that crashed through Ann Hodges roof.
Miraculously , the meteorite had done little more than bruise Ann Hodges . Though the bruise was quite large , Hodges could still walk . The tending from the medium and the townspeople , however , was too much for her to hold and she was quickly transferred to a hospital .
Jay Leviton / The LIFE Images Collection / Getty ImagesThe hollow made by the meteorite that crashed through Ann Hodges ceiling .
The meteorite itself was confiscated by the police and turned over to the Air Force for a thorough inspection . The geologist had view as it a meteor , but Cold War tensions were still high , and the constabulary wanted to make perfectly indisputable that the space rock candy was nothing more than just that . The Air Force quickly affirm that it indeed was .
However , upon determining that the meteorite was harmless , a new question arose : what to do with it . The public suggested that Hodges was the true owner of the rock , as it had fallen like a shot on her . Hodges herself agree , claim “ God think it for me . ”
regrettably , Ann Hodges ’ landlord , Birdie Guy , believe that God had intended it for her . After all , the Hodges were just renters and the land upon which the meteorite fell belonged to her . She even obtained a attorney , though she at last ensconce out of court : she agreed to let the Hodges keep the meteorite in interchange for $ 500 .
At first , Hodges and her husband believed that $ 500 was a low price to bear for such a seek - after point , but soon they realized that the hype around the meteorite had languish . Though they had been convinced it would rake in declamatory sums of cash , the only person concerned in the rock was the Smithsonian Institute .
After several years of endeavor to ascertain a buyer , the couple eventually donate it to the museum . The rock still seat on exhibit there today .
Though her physical health was n’t deeply affect by the impact , Hodges mental wellness never quite returned . After the ordeal , Hodges became overwhelmed by the media attention and suffered a flighty breakdown . In 1964 , she and her married man part , and in 1972 and only 52 years old , she give out in a Sylacauga breast feeding rest home .
To this day , Ann Hodges remain the only human being to ever be hit by a meteorite , a disc none are too eager to rival .
After learn the write up of Ann Hodges , check outKing Tutankhamun ’s obelisk , which was made from a fallen meteorite . Then , read aboutClay Shaw , the only man ever tried for the assassination of John F. Kennedy .
