S1:E4 Cloudy With a Chance of MEAT RAIN...Show Notes

Welcome to Uncommon in the Commonwealth. Boy do we have an uncommon episode planned for you tonight!! On this day, March the third, in 1876, it rained meat over Olympia Springs, in Bath County Kentucky! And yes you heard that correctly. Chunks of mean rained from the sky, on what was reported as a normal sunny day. When I first started reading the articles I was horrified, but of course, super intrigued and had to know more. So, Here is the story of The Great Meat Rain of 1876…

Allen Crouch, an average farmer, along with  his wife, were working in their field one sunny afternoon, when out of the clear blue sky (literally the sky was clear & blue) it began to rain meat, and I don’t mean little drizzles. They claimed some pieces were around the size of the palm of their hand, and ranged anywhere from slivers to several inch chunks to quite large hunks of meat. After this horrendous phenomenon occurred many people from town came to study the meat and collect samples, some of which were eventually sent off to different Universities like Transylvania and U of L. I haven’t even gotten to the grossest part yet. So some of the surrounding townspeople showed up to witness this weird weather event, one of which was a butcher who reportedly tried a sample of the meat and guessed it to be bear or mutton of some sort. He was not the only one to eat the strange meat treat either. Another man, who was a hunter, cooked and tried the meat as well and claimed it tasted gamey almost like venison (deer meat) would taste.

The scientific community offered many theories as to what this strange rain was, or from where it originated. Kurt Gohde, who was a professor at Transylvania University at the time, proposed that it was “Cosmic Meat” Which would make an excellent name for a metal band. But the professor claimed that cosmic meat was “flesh of animals from an exploding planet”. Which to me is just farfetched like wouldn’t some other rocks or debris from that planet have arrived with the meat rain? What do you think tom, does that seem plausible?

 I’ve heard of meteor showers but I’ve never heard of a meatier shower than this! LOL. Another scientist who tested the meat determined that the meat was from lung tissue of a child or goat. Not sure what testing methods he was using but…lung tissue?! And from a child no less? That is seriously disturbing! Another one of the theories, which actually seems to be the most plausible and is also the most disgusting of all theories was proposed by a scientist at named Robert Peter. He speculated that the mean rain was caused by…drum roll please…Vulture Vomit. The Turkey Vulture, which is very common in Kentucky, is a large bird who devours carrion. Carrion being a nice term for the dead and rotting flesh of animals. As a defense mechanism the vultures will vomit their food, but usually to repel predators. It is said that they can project up to 10ft. Which, idk about you, makes me want to stay as far away from them as possible. 

Vulture Vomit theory still doesn’t seem to solve this mystery for me. Because, Mr. and Mrs. Crouch, the owners of the farm who were hit by the meat rain, reported that the meat was raw (and not rotting) and also that it was a clear day. Vultures consume mostly rotten meat, like roadkill etc. So there was, no rain, no clouds, just slivers of pink flesh falling from the heavens on a clear sunny day. Wouldn’t they have seen the vultures soaring in the sky right before they were hit with its meaty spew? Unfortunately, we are left to wonder about the mystery meat rain because no official answer has been discovered.

Some newer theories have emerged, claiming the meat was a strange fungus called nostoc. Which is a fungus…it is also green and gelatinous. Nostoc is usually found growing on the ground after rain. And reportedly tastes like chicken or frog. Not sure who tasted it. Either way, the color and the fact that this is usually found on the ground and not falling from the sky pretty much rules of the fungus theory.

For more about this bizarre weather phenomenon (AND SEVERAL MORE!!) tune in to our podcast And listen to the full episode! Also, check us out on Instagram at UITC_Podcast

Citation of Sources

Austin, E. (2019, October 25). Kentucky Meat Shower? Yes, meat fell from the sky more than 140 years ago. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/history/2019/10/25/kentucky-meat-shower-meat-fell-sky-bath-county-olympian-springs/4082953002/

Chinchar, A. (2020, January 22). National Weather Service warns of falling iguanas. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/21/weather/miami-freeze-falling-iguana-forecast-trnd/index.html

Cleaton, S. (2014, May 6). Fish rain down on Sri Lanka village. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27298939

Crew, B. (2014, December 1). The Great Kentucky Meat Shower mystery unwound by projectile vulture vomit. Retrieved from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/

Palermo, E., & Science, L. (2015, June 11). Pouring Down Arachnids: Australias Nasty Spider Rain Explained. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/pouring-down-arachnids-australias-spider-rain-explained-n361006

Turkey Vulture. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/turkey_vulture_712.html

Who What Why: What is blood rain? (2012, October 23). Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20028490