Wold Newton meteorite
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The Wold Newton meteorite (also called the Wold Cottage meteorite after a nearby house) fell at 3 p.m. on December 13, 1795 a few miles away from the hamlet of Wold Newton in Yorkshire, England. There is a brick monument in the field where the meteorite fell, commemorating the event.
This was the first observed meteorite fall in Britain. It was used by scientists as proof that Extraterrestrial matter existed, and was made of the same materials as terrestrial matter. The naturalist James Sowerby acquired it, and gave fragments to interested people[1][2]. Sowerby's fragments are now held by the Natural History Museum in London.
In 2003, the meteor inspired the founding of local brewery Wold Top, which produces a real ale called "Falling Stone"[3].
[edit] In fiction
The event was used by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer in his "biographies" of fictional characters (Tarzan Alive and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life) as the basis of a literary premise commonly referred to as the Wold Newton family.
[edit] External links
- A history of meteorites, including the Wold Cottage chrondite
- A page about the stone on a local tourism site
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