The Meat Rain

"The Meat Rain – The day it rained raw beef over a Kentucky farm" investigates the Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876. On a clear sunny day, chunks of red meat fell from the sky over a 100-yard area in Bath County. Locals were terrified, believing it was a sign from God. Some even ate the meat to identify it (claiming it tasted like venison or bear). Author Nathan Storm analyzes the frantic scientific debate of the time. Was it nostoc bacteria? Was it a cosmic anomaly? The book eventually reveals the disgusting but likely truth: "Projectile Vulture Vomit." A flock of buzzards overhead had likely disgorged their last meal while in flight. "The Meat Rain" is a delightful and gross micro-history. It illustrates the primitive state of 19th-century forensics and the human tendency to look for supernatural explanations when the natural one is simply too gross to accept.