Dinosaurs aren’t the only ones in Alabama to have a close encounter with a meteorite.  Ann Hodges was taking a nap in her Oak Grove home in Talladega County on November 30, 1954, when a grapefruit-size meteorite dropped through her roof and pelted her on the arm and hip.  It is the only documented  case of a meteorite striking a human.

The incident set off a frenzy of activity from the news media while the U.S. Air Force also rushed to the scene to take away the meteorite, which was later returned after protests from Hodges family.

In 1956 the Hodges donated the object to the University of Alabama Museum of Natural History where it is still on display.  Mrs. Hodges fully recovered from her injuries, which were minor.

Reprinted with permission from Alabama Living Magazine.