Kentucky's 'Meat Rain': A Phenomenon That Couldn't Be Explained for Over a Century

Nature sometimes "delights" us with unusual, almost paranormal phenomena. For example, rains of small fish, frogs and even coins have been repeatedly recorded. In the end, such cases always found a scientific explanation. Most often, a tornado was to blame, "sucking" small animals and objects into its funnel, which later fell to the ground. But it also happens that it is very difficult to explain what is happening. For example, once in the American state of Kentucky, it rained... pieces of raw meat.

A strange phenomenon occurred in March 1876 in the village of Rankin, Kentucky. Pieces of raw meat measuring 5x5 cm suddenly began to fall to the ground. This lasted only a few minutes and covered an area of approximately 50 by 100 meters. It rained early in the morning and was first noticed by Miss Crouch, the wife of a local farmer.

The woman was on the veranda making soap when meat started falling into the yard. The farmer later admitted that it looked terrible and she was very scared. The first thing that came to her mind was that the end of the world had begun and the world was heading for the abyss. In addition to Miss Crouch, other residents of Rankin also saw the meat.

Some eyewitnesses hurried to lock themselves in their houses and began to pray. Others, on the contrary, showed interest in the strange phenomenon and began to collect the pieces lying on the ground. Someone even dared to taste them. These people claimed that the meat was quite fresh and resembled either beef or venison. Several samples were packed in glass jars and sent to scientists.

The incident in Kentucky did not go unnoticed. Soon reporters eager for sensations came to the village. Articles about the "meat rain" appeared not only in the local press, but also in such respected publications as Scientific American and the New York Times. Despite the fact that journalists and scientists had at their disposal many samples of the "precipitation", they were unable to explain its origin.

It was only in our days that everything was clarified. Samples of the meat in a sealed container were preserved in the archives of the Transylvania University of Kentucky. Biology professor Kurt Gohde studied them, including using genetic analysis. The scientist quickly explained the strange phenomenon. The meat that fell from the sky was just vulture vomit.

These birds, known to feed on carrion, were provided by nature with an incredibly strong stomach. It is designed to digest the coarsest and least edible food. These birds regurgitate meat not because of digestive problems. They simply instinctively always eat their fill, in reserve. In flight, a full stomach is not the best companion. Therefore, vultures often regurgitate excess food right in the air.

The residents of Rankin were simply “lucky”. On that March morning, a large flock of birds flew over the village and decided to shed their excess ballast. Despite a serious scientific approach, the researchers were unable to determine what species the meat belonged to. The samples had been in formalin for too long. All they found out was that it was an “assorted” meat, which included pieces of fillet, lungs and tendons. It’s a good thing the tasters didn’t live to see it, they would have been upset.