Ann Hodges The world's first meteorite victim Country: USA

Biography of Ann Hodges

Ann Elizabeth Hodges was born in 1920. She would likely have lived her life in obscurity if it weren't for a unique incident that occurred on November 30, 1954. On that day, after lunch, Ann decided to lie down and settled on the couch in the living room of her home in Oak Grove, Alabama. Little did she know that at that very moment, a meteorite was hurtling towards Earth at a tremendous speed.

During its flight, the meteorite broke into three pieces, with one of them heading straight for Ann Hodges' house. As Ann dozed off, she suddenly saw a black stone pierce through her ceiling and, bouncing off a radio, strike her left thigh. As a result, Ann suffered a large burn on her thigh, shaped and sized like a pineapple. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors and scientists became extremely interested in this unusual patient. No previous case of a meteorite hitting a human had ever been recorded. The meteorite was named Sylacauga, but many referred to it as the Hodges meteorite, as it was Ann Hodges who brought it the most fame.

The piece of extraterrestrial rock fascinated many, and numerous people were willing to buy it as a souvenir. Ultimately, it was acquired by the Alabama Museum of Natural History. The Hodges family also attempted to claim ownership of the meteorite and even took legal action. They intended to sell it and use the proceeds to repair their damaged roof, according to Ann. In the end, the meteorite remained in the Hodges family, but no one decided to sell it, and Ann herself donated it to the museum.

In 1964, Ann divorced her husband, and both claimed that their family had been cursed ever since the unfortunate meteorite incident. Later on, Ann's health deteriorated sharply, and she passed away in 1972 at the age of just over fifty. Despite a few more cases of meteorites hitting humans being recorded in history, Ann Hodges is still considered the only person in the world to have been injured by a falling meteorite. Although the meteorite did not cause her any particularly serious injuries, Ann's life changed after that fateful day in November 1954. This sentiment is shared by all members of her family and her former husband. The unanimous opinion of the Hodges family is that life would have been much better if the Sylacauga meteorite had never struck Ann Hodges.

Interestingly, around the same time, another farmer living in the same county found another fragment of the meteorite, which is known to have broken into three pieces. This piece of celestial rock, however, changed the farmer's life for the better as he was able to sell it for a good price and buy himself a new farm and a car.