Unsettled Skies/It's Raining Eels: A Compendium of Weird Weather; Weather; Scientific American Presents; by Cerveny; 2 Page(s)

May 19, 1780 DARKNESS AT NOON: A smoky blackness settled over the New England states, possibly the result of massive forest fires in Western states. It was so dark that by noon, people had to light candles and lamps to see. Even with the aid of lanterns, farmers could scarcely get to their barns to care for their livestock.

March 1876 JERKY FROM HEAVEN: Scientific American reported that many witnesses in Bath County in northeast Kentucky observed "flakes of meat" drifting down from a clear sky. One investigator declared that some of the flakes tasted like mutton or venison. The cause: Lightning may have roasted a flock of birds.