People Who Cheated Death By Meteorite
There have been tons of movies about meteorites falling to the Earth and the consequences of big events like that, but they rarely take inspiration from real-life events. Most of them go the disaster movie route, thinking there's no way reality can be better than fiction in this particular subject. But they are wrong, as usual.
Some events from the past century are proof that meteorites are a force to be reckoned with, but also that humans can usually survive something like that, even if they are hit by a fragment of an exploding rock from outer space.
In the 21st century, meteorite impacts are becoming more and more common for reasons unknown, but now we have the technology to trace their trajectory and even take pictures while they happens, opening a lot of new and exciting possibilities.
So, here are some people that cheated death by meteorite and lived to tell the tale.
The Tunguska Event
The Tunguska event occurred in Siberia in 1908 and is the largest impact event on Earth in recorded history. Millions of trees fell from the mid-air explosion, and it's said that at least three people died.
Sikhote-Alin Meteorite in 1947
This meteor impacted Russian mountains around 10.30 in the morning, so a lot of people witnessed the event, but none were harmed.
Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges in 1954
Ann Hodges is the first documented individual to be struck by a meteorite and survive. The meteorite split into three parts, with one of them entering Hodges' house through the roof. It hit a radio and bounced to hit her while she was napping on the couch. She didn't get superpowers or any strange disease and died of kidney failure in 1972.
Hodges Meteorite (1954)
The meteorite that hit Ann Hodges got her name, but it's also known as the Sylacauga meteorite.
Novato Meteorite (2012)
Lisa Webber recovered a piece of this meteorite after reading about it in the news. She checked the trajectory and remembered hearing some explosions the day it fell. Then, she realized it had hit her roof and left a mark.
Neuschwanstein Meteorite (2002)
This meteorite fell in Germany and was one of the first to be monitored by scientific organizations. It was so loud and bright that it was witnessed by many people, making it one of the best-documented meteorite falls in human history.
Mbale Meteorite (1992)
A meteorite shower fell on the Ugandan city of Mbale, with witnesses reporting a large cloud of smoke covering everything for minutes after impact. While some buildings were affected, nobody was hurt. Reports indicate a kid was hit by one of the 800 fragments that were recovered, but he suffered no major injuries.
Ischgl meteorite (1970)
The Ischgl meteorite was recovered by accident in 1976 while clearing the remnants of a snow avalanche on a mountain road. It was later linked to a fireball event in 1970.
Chelyabinsk Meteor Trace (2013)
One of the best-recorded meteorite events happened in Russia in 2013. At 9.20 AM, lots of people witnessed the trail in the sky, but not everyone was safe from its impact.
Chelyabinsk Meteorite
The meteor exploded 30km above the surface, and the shockwave obliterated windows in buildings over a large radius. 1491 people were injured and needed medical attention, but not from meteorite hits, but from glass shards and other objects affected by the explosion.
Carancas Meteorite (2007)
A meteorite fell on Carancas, Peru, in 2007, creating a crater that exposed water and emanated toxic gases. People living near the impact zone fell ill from what's believed to be arsenic vapors generated from the impact. Additionally, the type of meteorite is supposed to disintegrate while entering the atmosphere, so there were many strange elements to this particular case. Enough to make a supernatural movie about it.
Benld Meteorite (1938)
Edward McCain heard an explosion near him and didn't imagine what could've happened. A meteorite pierced through his roof, entered his garage in Illinois, and made a hole in the seat and floor of his Pontiac before rebounding off the car's muffler and landing back in the seat. Not sure what he told his insurance company.
Braunschweig meteorite (2013)
Another 2013 meteorite. This one fell in Braunschweig, Germany, at around 2:05 AM, and hit the concrete pavement near Erhard Seemann's house. The meteorite broke into hundreds of fragments on impact, but nobody was harmed.
Chicora Meteorite (1938)
The meteor that fell on Chicora, Pennsylvania, created an explosion often compared to the Halifax explosion. Reports say a cow was killed by it. The investigators also stated, “If it had landed on Pittsburgh there would have been few survivors.”
Hopewell Meteorite (2023)
One of the most recent events of this kind crashed through a roof in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, and ended up on someone's bed. This impact is still being investigated, as it's one of the most recent ones.
