Trivia
Fallen
from the Sky
A little absurd, but true, so why
not?
Give it a shot! At least you'll learn some strange facts!
1.
In 1772, in France, the Academic Francaise investigated the
fall of a large rock that landed with a loud explosion in Luce.
How was this hot, smoking rock explained by the Academie to
the scared peasants who reported finding it?
*The stone had been struck by lightning, tossed up, and fallen
down.
*The stone had been thrown by a catapult.
*It was brimstone sent as a warning to the peasants.
*They thought the tail of a comet had fallen off.
2.
In August, 1890, small yellowish spheres, white in the centre,
fell on a three square mile area around Mardin and Diyarbakir,
Turkey. What did the residents do with this substance?
*Made a salve for burns out of it
*Used it to feed their livestock
*Made bread out of it
*Washed their clothes in it
3.
What according to Italian Jerome Caradan (1501-1576) actually
caused fish or frogs to fall from the sky during rainstorms?
*They fell from a special type of cloud.
*Whirlwinds and waterspouts
*These falls happen during certain rises of the tides.
*Only during days that follow full-moon nights
4.
What fell on Bergen, Norway in 1578?
*Yellow mice
*Gray chipmunks
*Black toads
*Giant live spiders
5.
Speaking of the unusual skies of Bergen, Norway, what fell from
the sky on Bergen in 1579?
*Shrews
*Lemmings
*Ferrets
*Thousands of snails
Answers:
1. The stone had been struck by lightning, tossed up,
and fallen down.
The committee, who investigated the still warm rock, came to
the conclusion that there was no way a rock could exist in the
sky. Their theory was that lightning had struck the ground,
exposed the rock, heating it up and hurling it up into the sky,
and what the peasants saw was the rock coming back down. It
was commonly thought in the 17th century that stones that fell
from the sky were hoaxes. Actually, in all probability, it was
a meteorite that put fear in the peasants of Luce, in the province
of Maine.
2. Made bread out of it
The local people used it to make bread. The bread was said to
not only taste good, but was easily digestible, too. It was
thought that the substance was a kind of lichen, perhaps one
known as Lecanora esculenta. This was in "Nature",
Jan. 15, 1891.
3. Whirlwinds and waterspouts
Jerome Caradan (1501-1576) was the first to put forth the theory
that whirlwinds or waterspouts were actually picking up frogs
or fish. The little creatures were then carried through the
air, some for considerable distances, to be dropped at their
final destinations. The only problem was that during some fish
or frog falls, the sky was clear. It also seemed strange that
mud, debris, and rocks were not carried up with fish or frogs.
According to TORRO (Tornado and Storm Research Organization)
of Oxford, England, a T-10 (super) tornado can reach speeds
in excess of 280 mph or more.
4. Yellow mice
According to the "Journal of Cycle Research" Jan.
1957, large yellow mice fell on Bergen in 1578. The cats were
probably happy!
5. Lemmings
Well, after seeing yellow mice falling from the sky the previous
year, I don't guess they were much surprised to see lemmings.
This is also from the "Journal of Cycle Research"
Jan. 1957.
Source:
Funtrivia.com
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