On March 3, 1876, residents of Olympia Springs, Kentucky, witnessed a strange phenomenon – large pieces of meat began to fall from the sky. This happened right near the home of Allen Crouch, who witnessed this amazing event. The sky was clear, without a cloud, no signs of rain. Suddenly, like snowflakes, large chunks of beef-like meat began to fall.
Locals who ran to Crouch’s house saw this “meat rain” – chunks of meat covered the ground, roofs and hung on fences. Most of the pieces were about 5 by 5 centimeters, but there were some larger ones. Surprisingly, the meat was fresh and juicy. Two brave citizens decided to cook and eat this meat, it resembled venison or mutton in flavor. Samples of the meat were collected and preserved in glycerin and later sent for analysis.
In an attempt to reassure the public, the scientists announced that it was not meat, but some cyanobacteria surrounded by a gelatinous shell, which they called “Star Jelly”. However, this explanation did not satisfy the locals, who could easily distinguish meat from the gelatin-like mass.
Samples of the meat were sent to histologists for analysis, and Dr. A. Mead Edwards concluded that it was human or horse lung tissue. Another histologist, Dr. JWS Arnold, agreed with this conclusion and added that the samples consisted of animal cartilage and lung tissue.
Despite the scientists’ explanation, Olympia Springs residents continued to believe in the supernatural nature of what had happened. Scientists suggested that a flock of vultures or turkey vultures flew over the city and accidentally dumped their prey, but none of the residents saw the flock or the process of dumping the meat.
The mystery of the “meat rain” remained unsolved. Despite all attempts to explain the origin of this phenomenon, it still remains a mystery. Perhaps the answer lies in insufficient research and lack of reliable data.
