A Chunk Of Only Known Meteorite To Crash Into A Human Sells At Auction
- 7 years ago
Recently, a chunk of the only known meteorite to crash into a human sold at auction for $7,500.
One lucky person has become the new owner of a piece of space-related history.
Recently, a chunk of the only known meteorite to crash into a human sold at a Christie's auction for $7,500, reports Gizmodo.
Known as the Sylacauga Meteorite, the object broke through the atmosphere on November 30, 1954. Though it made incredibly loud noises as it plummeted towards a rural town in Alabama, it did not disturb the nap of Ann Hodge. While she slept, the speeding space rock broke through her roof and, after ricocheting off of a radio, hit her.
Hodge suffered a massive bruise and became the focus of an overwhelming amount of attention, notes National Geographic.
She also found herself embroiled in a fight with her landlord over meteorite ownership rights. The disagreement was ultimately settled, and the Hodge family "finally owned" the space object, according to Christie's.
When selling it proved much harder than imagined, the meteorite was donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History. That did not end Ann Hodge’s rock-related troubles.
At the age of 52, she suffered a nervous breakdown.
According to National Geographic, her husband later told the museum, “she never did recover" from the incident.
Randy Mecredy, the museum director, commented, “The Hodges were just simple country people, and I really think that all the attention was her downfall."
One lucky person has become the new owner of a piece of space-related history.
Recently, a chunk of the only known meteorite to crash into a human sold at a Christie's auction for $7,500, reports Gizmodo.
Known as the Sylacauga Meteorite, the object broke through the atmosphere on November 30, 1954. Though it made incredibly loud noises as it plummeted towards a rural town in Alabama, it did not disturb the nap of Ann Hodge. While she slept, the speeding space rock broke through her roof and, after ricocheting off of a radio, hit her.
Hodge suffered a massive bruise and became the focus of an overwhelming amount of attention, notes National Geographic.
She also found herself embroiled in a fight with her landlord over meteorite ownership rights. The disagreement was ultimately settled, and the Hodge family "finally owned" the space object, according to Christie's.
When selling it proved much harder than imagined, the meteorite was donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History. That did not end Ann Hodge’s rock-related troubles.
At the age of 52, she suffered a nervous breakdown.
According to National Geographic, her husband later told the museum, “she never did recover" from the incident.
Randy Mecredy, the museum director, commented, “The Hodges were just simple country people, and I really think that all the attention was her downfall."