In 1876, the “Kentucky Meat Shower” occurred when small pieces of meat rained down on a farmhouse. The cause is believed to be vultures regurgitating their last meal. Some thought it was a sign from God, but it was likely a natural phenomenon.
In many parts of the world, extreme weather events appear to be occurring more regularly, from flash floods and heat waves to powerful tropical storms and heavy snowstorms. However, in terms of the unusual weather, it would be hard to pinpoint anything stranger than what happened in Bath County, Kentucky on the afternoon of March 3, 1876. In an incident popularly known as the “Kentucky Meat Shower,” the sky over an ordinary Kentucky farmhouse it suddenly rained small pieces of what appeared to be meat. The falling meat, mainly pieces about 2cm by 2cm, covered an area of about 5 yards by 5 yards (100m by 50m), and was noticed by a Mrs. Allen Crouch, who was doing the soap on his porch. The phenomenon caught the attention of scientists, journalists and many other interested people, some of whom even tasted the meat, describing it as tasting like mutton or venison, although most people said it tasted like beef. Soon after the incident, some of the meat flakes were analyzed and identified as lung tissue, muscle and cartilage. While the cause of the event has never been conclusively explained, the most widely accepted theory is that the meat was regurgitated by some vultures flying far overhead. As strange as it sounds, projectile vomiting is a documented vulture behavior. Vultures regurgitate their last meal as a defense mechanism or to become light enough to fly, and when one starts vomiting, others quickly join in.
Making Sense of the “Kentucky Meat Shower”:
Another popular theory shortly after the event was that the so-called flesh was actually a colony of cyanobacteria known as Nostoc, which expands into a gelatinous mass when it comes in contact with water. However, many pointed out that there was no evidence of rain that day.
Mrs Crouch described the flesh flecks falling like snowflakes. She and her husband thought the strange event might be a sign from God. However, their cat apparently helped himself to the unexpected party.
A piece of the mystery meat is kept in the collection of the Monroe Moosnick Medical and Science Museum at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
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