AnirudhaEvery day scientists are learning new information about the space. The space agencies have stepped foot on Mars where they are trying to explore the atmosphere and see if the planet is inhabitable for us, humans. Though it might seem like an achievement, believe it or not, we have barely scratched the surface. Our universe is still a mystery to us. Stephen Hawking is considered as one of the most brilliant minds after Einstein. He proposed the theory of “Big Bang” which said that our universe was in a hot, tiny, and dense state with no stars, atoms, form or structure and then some 13.8 billion years ago, space expanded very quickly resulting in Big Bang, hence the name.
But, why are we talking about space and the universe? It’s because in 1950 in Alabama a woman was hit by a meteorite. At first, things were normal but soon she was never quite herself. Things changed for her. Was it all because she was hit by a meteorite?
Space Object
According to scientists, between 36 and 166 meteorites larger than the size of 10 grams hit the Earth per million square kilometers per year or in simple words 18,000 to 84,000 meteorites hit the Earth surface every year. Luckily, most of the meteorites are too small that result in no impact when they touch the earth’s atmosphere. But that day in 1950, one meteorite big enough to impact the earth hit not just the surface but a woman too. But then things didn’t remain the same. She didn’t remain the same.
Large Impact
There is a very rare chance of meteorites actually hitting Earth’s surface, but when they do, the results can be really catastrophic. It is believed that some millions of years ago a meteorite hit the earth which wiped the entire population of dinosaurs. Just imagine the size of the meteorite that ended an entire species forever. But that was in the past. What took place in 1954 was something more bizarre.
The Other News
Back then most of the United States was in shock from the landmark judgment for Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case. The judgment passed in the case banned the discrimination in schools. But in the small town of Sylacauga, Alabama, something else was keeping people’s mind busy.
Red Thing In The Sky
One of the residents of Sylacauga spotted “a bright reddish light like a Roman candle trailing smoke” in the sky. Many of the residents left the scene thinking the Soviets have attacked the place with some sort of new Cold War Weapon. Everybody was running around. Some packed the bags and families were hiding in the best place they could. They thought it was the end. But it was not a weapon but a meteorite.
The Search Was On
Firefighters and police searched both Morgan and Cullman counties. The authorities thought that it was some plane that has crashed. What else you can think of? Obviously, the plane. Most of the time when a plane crashes there is a possibility of fire or some smoke coming out of the plane. But there was none this time. The firefighters and police had no idea what were they dealing with.
The Red Thing
No one knew what that thing was. People were running, shouting and kept looking at the sky. They wanted to know where it would crash. For first, nobody knew what it was. Second, the red smoke made it look like it was some advanced weapon for mass destruction. Everybody was out of their house looking extremely frightened about the situation. Then it crashed!