The Hodges Meteorite (Alabama Museum of Natural History)

The Hodges Meteorite is on display at the Alabama Museum of Natural History on the University of Alabama campus. It is an 8.5-pound chunk of sulphide chondrite that fell on Sylacauga, Alabama in 1954, struck a house, and injured the woman sleeping inside. It is the first meteorite in recorded history to have hit a human being.

The museum itself covers Alabama's natural history with exhibits on geology, paleontology, and the state's diverse ecosystems. The meteorite is the most remarkable object in the collection, but the building — Smith Hall, a 1909 neoclassical structure — is also worth a look. Entry to the museum is free.

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A story
On 30 November 1954, Ann Hodges was napping on her sofa in Sylacauga, Alabama, when a grapefruit-sized meteorite crashed through her roof, bounced off a radio, and struck her on the hip — giving her a bruise the size and shape of a pineapple. She is the only confirmed human being known to have been struck by a meteorite in recorded history. The US Air Force briefly confiscated the rock, then returned it to her. She eventually donated it to the University of Alabama.