Ann Hodges
Ann Elizabeth Hodges (1923 – 1972) of Sylacauga, Alabama is the only person of record to have been hit by a meteorite. On November 30, 1954, she was napping on her living room couch when a grapefruit-sized rock from space crashed through the roof of her house. It bounced off her large wooden console radio, destroying it, and struck her on the arm and hip. She was badly bruised but able to walk.
Even though it fell in the early afternoon, the meteor as it streaked through the atmosphere was a fireball visable in three states. The event was reported worldwide. As the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person, it received much publicity.
The United States Air Force sent a helicoptor to take the meteorite. Eugene Hodges, Ann's husband, hired a lawyer to get it back. Their landlord also claimed it, wanting to sell it to cover the damage to the house. There were offers of up to $5,000 US dollars for it. By the time it was returned to the Hodges, over a year later, public attention had diminished and they were unable to find a buyer willing to pay much money.
Ann was uncomfortable with the public attention and the stress of the dispute over ownership of the meteorite. Against her husband's wishes, she donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History. It is a sulfide type, and weighs about 8.5 pounds (4 kg). It is on display at the University of Alabama.