On this day in 1954, the first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human being occurred at Sylacauga, Alabama, when a meteorite crashed through the roof of a house and into a living room, and struck a woman lying on her couch.
The earliest claim of a person being hit by a meteorite comes from 1677 in a manuscript published at Tortona, Italy, which tells of a Milanese friar who was killed by one, although the veracity of this story is unknown. The Sylacauga meteorite was the first documented extra-terrestrial object to have injured a human being.
The grapefruit-sized fragment crashed through the roof of a farmhouse, bounced off a large wooden console radio, and hit Elizabeth Hodges while she was napping on a couch. The 34-year-old woman was badly bruised on one side of her body, but was able to walk. The event received worldwide publicity.
The meteorite was confiscated by the Sylacauga police chief who then turned it over to the United States Air Force. Both the Hodges and their landlord, Bertie Guy, claimed the rock, Guy’s claim being that it had fallen on her property.
The Hodges and Bertie Guy settled, with the Hodges paying $500 for the rock. However, by the time it was returned to the Hodges, over a year later, public interest in the event had diminished, and they were unable to then find a buyer.
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