This woman is the only person to have ever been struck by a meteorite and scientists are still confused

Space is the next frontier which would explain why we’re all so curious about what exactly is out there because nobody really knows. Yes, we know that there must be some kind of life besides us but what does that look like? Maybe one day this question will be answered but for now we know that some pieces of the universe do end up on Earth and they have given us some pretty interesting clues to what is out there.
Telescopes like the Hubble and the Rover missions to Mars and other planets have worked to give us a better idea of the make-up of the planets and the cosmos but meteorites themselves tell a very specific story about the universe. This is because they have traveled for thousands of years from galaxies far far away. One woman actually found herself in incredibly close quarters with a meteorite which would affect her profoundly. This is the story of Ann Hodges who lived in the state of Alabama when her world came crashing down.

Meteoroid Vs. Meteorite

In order to understand what exactly happened to Ann Hodges in 1954 we first need to know what the difference between a meteoroid is and a meteorite. According to NASA, a meteoroid is, “a small particle from a comet or asteroid orbiting the Sun.”

And a meteorite is a meteoroid that has survived entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and successfully touched down on the Earth’s surface. The main difference here is one is in space and one is now on the Earth.

Fun Facts About Meteoroids

Think about all the instances that you have heard of a meteorite hitting Earth? It is hard to think of because there have been so few. This is one of the characteristics of meteoroids themselves. They rarely manage to survive entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and plop down on the surface with a big bang.

When they do make it to Earth it tends to be quite the event as it creates a crater that can stretch for miles wherever it eventually lands. Now the term ‘big bang’ might sound an awful lot familiar and we are not talking about the TV show The Big Bang Theory.

The Big Bang

Do you remember when dinosaurs walked the Earth? Okay, so it was not in your lifetime obviously but millions of years ago they did and we have their skeletons to prove it. The cause of their extinction is still a topic of debate but one of the theories actually circulates around the idea that it was a meteorite that ended up killing them all.

Meteorites are a fascinating phenomenon but they are dangerous which is what we are about to see when a woman found herself directly in the path of one. We’re not saying that you should steer clear of them because they are so rare but if you see something unknown coming in fast beware!

The Lead-Up

The 1950s were a tough time in the United States of America. There were many precedents setting cases that made their way to the Supreme Court. One such case was that of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This would be the case that would mark the end of segregation within the school systems throughout all of the states and begin the long process of addressing the institutionalized forms of repression that had been going on for decades.

This was the backdrop to another major event that would then take place in Sylacauga, Alabama which shifts the focus of the country momentarily.