SAEDNEWS: On November 30, 1954, a woman who was taking a nap on her bed was struck by a meteorite.
According to Saed News, citing Bitoote, on November 30, 1954, a woman in the U.S. state of Alabama experienced an extraordinary event from beyond Earth. Elizabeth Hodges, who was taking a nap on her bed, was struck by a 4.5-kilogram meteorite. The probability of a meteorite hitting the roof of a house, even without considering the chance of striking someone inside, is estimated to be one in 182 trillion. Therefore, this event was extremely rare. Perhaps for this reason, she remains the only known person to have been directly hit by a meteorite. Most meteorites fall into oceans or remote areas of Earth.
Residents of the town were initially unsure whether the object was truly a meteorite. Some even suggested that it could have been a piece of a Soviet aircraft. Hodges was taken to a hospital for examination. Despite being hit by the meteorite, she only suffered extensive bruising and did not sustain serious injuries.
The details of the incident were reviewed several times throughout history to verify its authenticity. Many believed that the meteorite might have entered the house due to a tornado or lightning strike. However, scientists confirmed that the rock had fallen from space. Hodges claimed that at 2:46 p.m., when the stone passed through the roof of her house, she was turning off the radio located above her bed.
The meteorite was named the Sylacauga meteorite, after the town where Hodges’ home was located. It was eventually donated to a natural history museum.
