All articles tagged with #ann hodges
Ann Hodges was the first documented person to be hit by a meteorite in 1954 when a fragment crashed through her roof and struck her, leaving her with a large bruise; her story remains a fascinating tale of space debris hitting Earth.
Seventy years ago, Ann Hodges became the first known person to survive being struck by a meteorite when it crashed through her roof in Oak Grove, Alabama, on November 30, 1954. The meteorite, weighing 8.5 pounds, hit her in the thigh after ricocheting off a radio. The incident drew significant media attention, and after a legal dispute over its ownership, Hodges donated the meteorite to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where it remains on display.
Ann Hodges, a woman from Alabama, remains the only known person in recorded history to have been struck by a meteorite. In 1954, an 8.5-pound space rock shot through her roof, bounced off a radio, and hit her on the thigh, causing a large bruise. Despite initial disbelief, experts confirmed it was a meteorite. Hodges experienced health problems and behavioral changes following the incident, including social anxiety and symptoms resembling PTSD. She and her husband engaged in a legal dispute over ownership of the meteorite, which she eventually kept. Hodges passed away in 1972, while her ex-husband lived until 2012.