Quick & curious · Nature

In 1876 it rained meat in Kentucky.

A turkey vulture with a bare red head lands on a dead branch, wings spread
Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Original

The story behind it

On 3 March 1876, chunks of meat fell from the sky in Kentucky.

They landed on an area of about 90 by 45 metres near Olympia Springs, most of them about 5 centimetres across. Samples were identified as lung, muscle and cartilage. Locals suspected vultures: turkey vultures throw up half-digested meat to defend themselves.

Sources

Every statement in this discovery is backed by one of these sources and was checked before publication.

  1. Wikipedia: Kentucky meat shower (accessed 2026-10-07)
  2. Wikipedia: Turkey vulture (accessed 2026-10-07)