Journal of the Bizarre

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on November 13, 2015

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Debunked: The Kentucky Meat Storm of 1876

A sample of the meat, From the Arthur Byrd Cabinet at Transylvania University From frogs to fish, a variety of bizarre things have fallen from the sky throughout history, but on March 3, 1876, residents of Bath County in Kentucky were amazed to see flakes of meat falling from the sky. The meat storm lasted for several minutes, covering an small 100 by 50 yard area of the Allen Crouch farm, approximately two miles south of Olympia Springs. There was enough meat to fill a large wagon. Or, at least, that's how the story goes. Some of the locals actually took it upon themselves to taste the fleshy substance. Even though it appeared similar to beef, those who tasted it claim that its flavor resembled that of lamb, mutton or venison. Mr. Leopold Brandeis delivered a sample of the substance to the Newark Scientific Association for analysis. Dr. Allan McLane, who examined the sample, announced that the meat had been identified as lung tissue from either a horse or a hum...

Jenny Hanivers, Mermaids, Devil Fish, and Sea Monks

Three centuries before P.T. Barnum attracted flocks of crowds with his mummified Fiji Mermaid (which turned out to be a papier-mâché creation featuring a monkey's head and a fish's body), sailors around the world had already began manufacturing "mermaids". Known as Jenny Hanivers, these creations were often sold to tourists and provided sailors with an additional source of income. These mummified creatures were produced by drying, carving, and then varnishing the carcasses of fish belonging to the order rajiformes - a group of flattened cartilaginous fish related to the shark which includes stingrays and skates. These preserved carcasses can be made to resemble mermaids, dragons, angels, demons, and other mythical creatures. Jenny Hanivers became popular in the mid-16th century, when sailors around the Antwerp docks began selling the novelties to tourists. This practice was so common in the Belgian city that it may have influenced the name; it is wide...

Why We No Longer Update Journal of the Bizarre

People keep pointing out that we haven't updated Journal of the Bizarre since early January, and since we're tired of reciting the story over and over, we'll just make one final post describing how soy-guzzling, keyboard cowboy wokester jokesters-- who apparently got sand in their manginas after reading some our pro-conservative Twitter and Facebook posts-- began flagging our blog on January 6 and haven't stopped since. Hmm, wonder what could've happened on January 6th.... Of course, one has to wonder how much free time these bottom-feeders in the aquarium of American society have on their hands to devote themselves to demonetizing a 100% nonpolitical, nonpartisan blog about strange history, unsolved mysteries and the paranormal. Funny, we've been around since 2010 and have created over 500 posts without getting slapped down by Google, but, then again, those were different times... back when folks didn't get their panties twisted over the gender identity o...

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