The girl who actually WAS hit by a meteorite: How a grapefruit-sized area rock struck Alabama resident Ann Hodges 70 years in the past – as specialists dismiss claims by French ‘sufferer’

Loads of eyebrows have been raised when a French woman claimed to have been struck by a meteorite earlier this month.

Not least as a result of the chances of an individual being hit by an area rock are estimated to be wherever from round one in 700,000 to at least one in 100 trillion. 

That and the actual fact there’s solely ever been one identified meteorite sufferer — a 34-year-old lady from Alabama who was hit by a grapefruit-sized extraterrestrial rock 70 years in the past.

Nicely, it might be an undesirable document, however Ann Hodges stays the one individual in recorded historical past to be struck by a meteorite after dozens of geologists rushed to dispel the unnamed French resident’s claims.

She mentioned she had been hit within the ribs by a chunk of meteorite whereas having fun with a espresso with a good friend on the terrace of her house in Schirmeck, north-eastern France.

Painful: There’s solely ever been one identified meteorite sufferer – an Alabama lady named Ann Hodges (pictured), who was hit by a grapefruit-sized extraterrestrial rock almost 70 years in the past

Shocked: Hodges stands above the opening within the roof the place a meteorite got here crashing by way of

However plenty of specialists noticed the story go world and mentioned it could not have been a meteorite as a result of it had irregular, spiked edges slightly than being easy like an area rock would do after melting within the Earth’s environment.

As an alternative they mentioned it was only a common terrestrial rock which both fell from a roof, a airplane’s wheels or was thrown by burglars to see if anybody was house.

The rock that hit Hodges, nonetheless, was most positively a meteorite.

On November 30, 1954 she was fortunately napping on her couch when an 8.5-pound, 4.5 billion-year-old area rock shot by way of her roof, bounced off a radio, and hit her on her higher thigh and hand, giving her a big bruise. 

Her mom, who was in one other room, ran to her daughter’s support when she heard a scream.

Neither knew what had occurred within the rapid aftermath, solely that the home was crammed with mud.

First they thought the chimney had collapsed or an area heater had ruptured, earlier than discovering a rock on the ground and a bruise to Ann’s physique.

The pair then referred to as the police and hearth division.

Shortly earlier than the affect, plenty of residents in Sylacauga reported seeing ‘a shiny reddish mild’ crossing the sky ‘like a roman candle trailing smoke.’ 

Others mentioned they noticed a ‘fireball, like a big wielding arc’ and heard a big growth. 

Such was the depth of it that many thought an airplane was crashing to Earth.

Authorities have been inundated with calls and anticipated to discover a crash web site, earlier than figuring out the Hodgeses home as ‘floor zero’ and discovering a gap within the roof.

It was solely as they pieced collectively all of the proof that the penny slowly started to drop.  

What later emerged is that when the meteor entered the Earth’s environment, it broke aside. One fragment hit Hodges whereas one other was found by a farmer a number of miles away.

Hodges’ husband Eugene was fully unaware of what had occurred till he returned house later that day to search out emergency autos and a crowd of individuals surrounding the couple’s house.

On November 30, 1954 she was fortunately napping on her couch when an 8.5-pound, 4.5 billion-year-old area rock (pictured) shot by way of her roof, bounced off a radio, and hit her thigh

Collateral injury: That is the radio that the meteorite bounced off earlier than it hit Hodges on the higher thigh

His spouse then advised him there had been a ‘little pleasure’ that day.   

Regardless of not initially requiring hospital remedy, Hodges was admitted the next day — not for the bruise, however due to the psychological misery the ordeal had triggered her.

Eugene would later declare that his spouse’s behaviour modified within the months and years following the meteorite strike. 

Her well being issues worsened, her shyness turned social nervousness, and she or he suffered from what gave the impression to be post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD).

The couple divorced 10 years later.

Previous to their cut up, and within the rapid aftermath of the incident, Ann and Eugene spent a 12 months locked in a bitter authorized dispute with their landlady over the rights to the piece of meteorite that smashed by way of their home.

Though the legislation favoured the owner, the general public bought behind Hodges and she or he ultimately bought to maintain it after she and her husband agreed to pay a $500 (£389) settlement.

Disputed: A lady claimed she was hit by a meteorite whereas having fun with a espresso with a good friend in Schirmeck, north-eastern France (proven above). Nonetheless, dozens of geologists dismissed the concept that it was an area rock due to its irregular spikes. Meteorites are typically smoother

Hodges had mentioned of the authorized wrangling for possession: ‘God meant it to hit me. In spite of everything, it hit me!’

Sadly, curiosity within the meteorite had waned by the point Hodges and her husband had the rock of their possession.

They tried to promote it however could not discover a purchaser, so initially used it as a doorstop earlier than donating it to the Alabama Museum of Pure Historical past.

The farmer who additionally had a chunk of the Hodges Meteorite fall on his land had significantly better luck.

Julius Kempis McKinney shortly offered it to the Smithsonian whereas the Hodges authorized ordeal was nonetheless raging, permitting him to purchase a brand new automobile and a home from the proceeds.

Many years later, in 2017, a bit of this second, smaller piece of the area rock offered at public sale home Christie’s for $7,500 (£5,800).

Hodges would ultimately go away aged simply 52, having struggled enormously within the highlight of her notoriety.

She died of kidney failure in a nursing house on September 10, 1972, whereas her ex-husband lived till 2012.