Fireballs of the Age of Reason
(1492-1807)
1492- (October 11) Columbus sees a strange light while standing on the sterncastle of the Santa Maria. The light was described as "like a little wax candle bobbing up and down." This light was also witnessed by Columbus' servent Pero Gutierrez. Over the centuries a number of possible explanations have been proposed. The most popular one was that the light was a torch carried in the hand of a person walking along the beach of San Salvador. The nineteenth century American writer Washington Irving who is best known for his short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow suggests that the light may have been caused by "a torch in the bark of a fisherman, rising and sinking with the waves..." Another nineteenth century scholar and biographer of Columbus, Justin Winsor was a bit more skeptical and adds a little arithmetic to the equation. Winsor believed that Columbus was at least 12 to 14 leagues from San Salvador when he observed the light. Using the lower of these numbers this would mean that Columbus, perched on the deck of the Santa Maria was at least 36 miles from the island when he observed the light. Given that distance and the low elevation of San Salvador it appears highly unlikely that the light he saw came from the island. The best explanation of what he saw was that it was a fireball off in the distance. It would have to have been very close to the horizon to get the illusion of something bobbing up and down. This perceived movement can easily be attributed to the ships rolling on the waves.
1511- (September 14) In Italy, at Crema stones fell from the sky. Some of these stones were recovered and were said to weigh 100 lbs each. A monk was killed by a fragment from one of these stones.
1516- Near the Abdua River in China it is said that 1200 stones fell from the sky.
1540- (April 28) A large stone the size of a barrel fell at Limousin in France. The stone was said to have made a crater several feet deep
1622- (January 10) A meteor fell in Cornwall England.
1628- (April 09, 5:00 P.M.) At Hatford England it was siad that a "hideous noise" was heard in the sky followed by a stone which fell from the sky and was found by a woman a mile and a half from Hatford.
1637- (November 29) A stone weighing 54 lbs fell on Mt. Vaison in Provence France.
1638- (October 21) A stone fell from the sky at Wydecombe near Dartmoor in England.
1642- (August 4) According to Gentlemen's Magazine, a British publication, in Suffolk between Woodbridge and albons a noise like a drum beating was heard in the sky. This was followed by a stone falling from the heavens which was found by a certain Captain Johnson who found it hot when he dug it out of the ground.
1650- (March 30) The nineteenth century British astronomer Daniel Kirkwood wrote about A Franciscan monk that was killed by a falling stone at Milan in Italy. The London Encyclopedia mentions this same incident but says that it occurred in the year 1654.
1672- (November 22) At Wednesbury in the Black Country of England there was seen a large bright fireball which burst from the heavens.
1676- (September 20) An extremely bright fireball was seen over much of England at 7:00 P.M. It was described as being "as light as noonday."
1676- A stone of meteoric origins fell into a boat in the Orkney's.
1677- (July 17) Increase Mather mentions an incident in his book Remarkable Providences that took place on a sailing vessel off the coast of Cape Cod Massachusetts.
The captain of the ship stated that he saw "a very black object fly before him about the bigness of a small mast." and also hearing a sound "as if great armies of men had been firing one against the other." The blast shook the vessel and the Captain was rendered unconscious. After recovering his senses he assessed the damages that it had done to his ship and found to his amazement that the main mast had been split in half and the deck was punctured by tiny holes. There was also a strong odor of sulfur in the air. The Captain was forced to turn his ship around and head back to Boston where he could be refitted.
1680- Several stones fell from the sky near Gresham College in london.
1708- (July 31) A large meteor was seen over London and Suffolk and reported by Edmund Halley.
1710- A large meteor was seen on Holy Thursday over Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Lancashire at 10:15 P.M. Source: Lowes Chronology of the Seasons.
1719- (March 19) Edmund Halley reports that a large bolide was seen over much of England. It was described as being "not as large as the moon, but almost as bright as the sun, and bursting with a loud report." This fireball was also seen in Scotland and France.
1725- (July 3) A stone fell from the sky near Mixbury England. It was recovered and said to weigh 20 lbs.
1731- (March 12) A fireball was seen in the sky over Halstead England. Supposedly this stone fell in the water and it was said that the water contained "froth and foam" for 30 hours after the fall. This fireball report may have happened in 1732. Sources differ.
1733- (December 08) A kite shaped meteor was seen in the sky over Walkhampton and Oakhampton England.
1734- (March 13) A fireball seen over London.
1737- (December 05) At Kilkenny Ireland a large fireball was seen in the sky before exploding. This happened during an Aurora Borealis.
1738- (August 28) At 5:00 P.M. with the sun shining, a fireball was seen in the sky over many parts of England including dorsetshire, Devonshire, Berkshire and Derbyshire.
1741- (December 11) A meteor the size of the moon was seen over London, Canterbury, Peckham and Hungerford at 1:00 P.M. It was also said to be kite shaped and left with a thunder like clap.
1741- (December 18) A "ball of fire" was seen at Canterbury followed by a storm that broke many windows.
1742- (December 16) A large meteor seen over London.
1744- (May 27) A large meteor seen over Somerset Gardens London.
1745- (July 14) A large meteor was seen at Oxford in England and was said to have lasted an hour and one minute while changing into different shapes. (Who knows what to make of this one.)
1750- (July 22) At 8:40 P.M. a "very brilliant" meteor was seen over Peterborough and Norwich England.
1803- (April 26) At L'Aigle France a large fireball broke up scattering fragments over much of this small farming community.
1807- (December 14) A large fireball was seen over a large area of New England and New York. This meteor burst over the small town of Weston Connecticut scattering fragments over a large area of the town.
