Kentucky meat shower: Difference between revisions
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The '''Kentucky meat shower''' was an incident where large chunks of [[red meat]] fell from the sky in a 100 by 50 yard area near Olympia Springs, [[Bath County, Kentucky|Bath County]], [[Kentucky]], for a period of several minutes on March 3, 1876. The [[phenomenon]] was reported by the ''[[New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0914F9355B127B93C2A81788D85F428784F9 | work=The New York Times | title=Flesh Descending In A Shower.; An Astounding Phenomenon In Kentucky--Fresh Meat Like Mutton Orvenison Falling From A Clear Sky | date=March 10, 1876}}</ref> and several other publications at the time.<ref name="E2"/> |
The '''Kentucky meat shower''' was an incident where large chunks of [[red meat]] fell from the sky in a 100 by 50 yard area near Olympia Springs, [[Bath County, Kentucky|Bath County]], [[Kentucky]], for a period of several minutes on March 3, 1876. The [[phenomenon]] was reported by the ''[[New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0914F9355B127B93C2A81788D85F428784F9 | work=The New York Times | title=Flesh Descending In A Shower.; An Astounding Phenomenon In Kentucky--Fresh Meat Like Mutton Orvenison Falling From A Clear Sky | date=March 10, 1876}}</ref> and several other publications at the time.<ref name="E2"/> |
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== Identifying the |
== Identifying the meet == |
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The meat appeared to be beef, but two locals who tasted it stated that it tasted like mutton or venison. |
The meat appeared to be beef, but two locals who tasted it stated that it tasted like mutton or venison. |
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Revision as of 03:26, 20 January 2013
The Kentucky meat shower was an incident where large chunks of red meat fell from the sky in a 100 by 50 yard area near Olympia Springs, Bath County, Kentucky, for a period of several minutes on March 3, 1876. The phenomenon was reported by the New York Times[1] and several other publications at the time.[2]
Identifying the meet
The meat appeared to be beef, but two locals who tasted it stated that it tasted like mutton or venison.
Initially, the "meat" was identified by a Mr. Leopold Brandeis writing in the Sanitarian as Nostoc, which he described as a type of vegetable matter. When Brandeis passed the meat sample to the Newark Scientific Association for further analysis, this led to a letter from Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton appearing in the publication Medical Record stating that the meat had been identified as lung tissue from either a horse or a human infant ("the structure of the organ in these two cases being very similar.")[3] The makeup of this sample was backed up by further analysis, with two samples of the meat being identified as lung tissue, three samples were of muscle tissue, and two of cartilage.
Theories
Out of the many theories for an explanation of this phenomenon, the most likely appears to be that a large pack of buzzards flew over the area after having eaten a couple of freshly dead horses, and when one of them spontaneously disgorged itself, all the others (as apparently is customary amongst buzzards), followed suit.[2][3]
Other less conventional explanations were put forward, including author William Livingston Alden stating that "cosmic meat" was floating around in space that would drop through our atmosphere similarly to meteorites.[4]
And in the same book as the "cosmic meat" theory comes this rather gruesome theory: "finely-hashed citizens of Kentucky, who had been caught up in a whirlwind while engaged in a little 'difficulty' with bowie knives, and strewn over their astonished state."[4]
References
- ^ "Flesh Descending In A Shower.; An Astounding Phenomenon In Kentucky--Fresh Meat Like Mutton Orvenison Falling From A Clear Sky". The New York Times. March 10, 1876.
- ^ a b "The Kentucky Meat Shower". Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ a b "Mysterious Shower Of Meat". Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ a b "Flesh Falls". Retrieved February 21, 2012.