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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...

Setting the record straight about Atlas Obscura's debunking of Victorian 'tear catchers'

A few days ago Atlas Obscura published an article debunking Victorian era "tear catchers"-- glass bottles into which grieving persons wept. Being sentimental sometimes to the point of absurdity, those who lived during the 19th century had an obsession with grief; post-mortem photography, for example, was a popular way for people to preserve the memory of the dearly departed. Considering that thousands of Victorians had no qualms about displaying portraits of their deceased children in life-like poses in their homes, the concept of crying into a bottle doesn't seem so far-fetched. As Atlas Obscura correctly pointed out, the antiques and curiosities marketplace is burgeoning with bottles hawked as authentic Victorian era tear catchers, and, in many cases, the romantic backstory is worth far more than the bottles themselves. In many cases, these bottles are really nothing more than perfume bottles. As for the common belief that Victorians wept into them, Atlas Obscura...

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