Kentucky Meat Shower
The Kentucky Meat Shower - From the United States of Absurdity by Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds.
For several minutes on the 3rd March 1876 chunks of meat rained down from the sky over Bath County, Kentucky. What could have caused such a strange phenomenon?
The Day of the Kentucky Meat Shower
Between 11am and 12pm on the 3rd of March 1876 a farmer’s wife named Mrs. Crouch was happily making soap on her porch near Olympia Springs in Bath County. It was a clear and sunny day. All of a sudden pieces of meat began to fall from the sky.
Mrs Crouch described the pieces of meat as being between 2 inches and 4 inches in size and gristly in appearance.
Mr Crouch saw the meat falling all around his wife and described it as looking like big red snowflakes.
Mrs Crouch and her husband told the New York Times that they believed the meat was a sign from God, like the manna coming from heaven in the Bible to feed the Israelites.
A Mr Harrison Gill visited the Crouch residence the day after the incident and found pieces of meat sticking out of the fences and scattered around on the ground.
The meat was apparently fresh when it fell but by the time of Harrison’s visit it had become spoilt and dry.
What Kind of Meat Fell in the Kentucky Meat Shower?
Mr and Mrs Crouch believed the meat to be beef. Two men who came to the site just to taste the meat described it as tasting like venison or lamb.
A scientist named Leopole Brandeis wrote in the Sanitarian magazine claiming that it was a type of cyanobacteria called Nostoc. Brandeis submitted a sample to the Newark Scientific Association for further analysis.
Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton from the Newark Scientific Association analysed the sample and came to the conclusion that it was lung tissue from either a human infant or a horse.
More samples were studied and all were concluded as being either lung tissue, muscle or cartilage.
A similar event later occurred in Europe and was reported by The New York Times and Scientific American,
What could have caused the Kentucky Meat Shower?
Were vultures behind the Kentucky meat shower? Photo: Unsplash
Locals believed the most likely explanation was that a flock of vultures who were feeding were startled and took flight, vomiting as they went.
This is a normal self defense mechanism for vultures.
We honestly can’t even think of another explanation.
What do you think caused the Kentucky Meat Shower? Let us know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy learning about the Oakville Blobs:gelatinous rain that fell from the sky or the mysterious Jenny Greenteeth.
