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Rain of Iron and Ice:
The Very Real Threat of
Comet and Asteroid Bombardment
by John S. Lewis
On November 27,1919, a meteorite fell into Lake Michigan near the Michigan shore. "Residents of Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, South Bend, Grand Haven, and other Western Michigan cities fled from their homes in panic, fearing an earthquake. Houses were shaken, the country was illuminated as by a bright sun's rays, so all-enveloping it was impossible to tell from which direction the flare came, the earth trembled for half a moment and then came a deep prolonged rumbling as of a terrific explosion." (p 159)

This event came as a surprise, as I've never heard it recounted by any of my elderly relatives, and most of them died before I read about it in this book. A number of other such impacts, including some which hit or nearly hit people, ships, animals etc, are described in this book, which I recommend. My review on Amazon is still there, but much shorter than I remember...

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

Link hunted down with help from wikipedia; looks like the date in “Rain of Iron and Ice” is off by a day; the story is found near the bottom of the second column:

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1919-11-27/ed-1/seq-1.pdf

(the copy and paste appears to be OCR-quality, iow, needed some editing)

The Washington Tîmes
NUMBER 11,3612
THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 27, 1919.

EARTH QUIVERS AS SKY PHENOMENON DESCENDS

Electric Plants Wrecked As Strange Visitor Appears on Michigan- Indiana Line.

CHICAGO. Nov. 27 — Telegraph snd telephone communications and electric lighting plants in several cities in southern Michigan and northern Indiana were out of commission today as a result of a remarkable phenomenon, believed by several scientists to have been a gigantic meteor which rushing earthward from the East appeared to dissolve as it approached the earth near Athens, Mich., last night.

The phenomenon is reported to have assumed various forms, in its race earthward, ranging from a brilliant illumination to a heavy rain accompanied by heavy thunder.

The phenomenon was seen over Chicago by several persons. It was reported here shortly before 8 o’clock. It appeared over the lake and resembled in appearance an extraordinarily prolonged flash of heat lightning.

Athens, Battle Creek, and Three Oaks, Mich., report considerable damages to property. At Athens, it in said, there was an earthquake, continuing for fully three minutes, accompanied by a heavy rain and wind storm, a loud clap of thunder, and a flash of light in the sky of longer duration than lightning.

At La Porte, South Bend, Fort Wayne. Warsaw, and other Indiana points, windows were broken by the concussion.

The Calumet Electric Light Company, at Kalamazoo, Mich., and several smaller plants throughout this section of the country were temporarily disabled.

(Athens, Michigan)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Athens&state=MI