Stories of strange things falling from the sky never fail to amuse me and when I found this one I just had to share it.
The Queenslander 31 Jul 1930 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23126302
Not just boring old frogs and fish here, among other things this article tells us about the live 2ft long alligator falling from the sky in Charleston in 1844. Nice try, but a single alligator does not a shower make.
Frankly, unless I saw the thing falling from a great height with my own eyes I will continue to believe that it appeared immediately after a strange rain event and the people assumed that it fell from the sky.
Can you imagine how angry an alligator would be after a fall like that? I bet that anyone coming across it would be unlikely to live to tell the tale!
I have done posts before about strange things falling from the sky, I loved this one that included poisonous insects (ouch!) and a butter-like substance that, when applied to the skin, effected astonishing cures. What the?! (In that post I said that such a thing would never be smeared upon any part of my body unless that body part had already been amputated…..)
Usually these strange showers are attributed to whirlwinds sucking up the tiny victims (frogs, fish etc) and then dropping them in an unlikely location, seemingly for our amusement.
(In this article from 1911 a poor schoolgirl was sucked up but didn’t travel very far before she fell to her death.)
I understand that the whirlwind theory is a logical one, but it doesn’t explain everything does it? You would think that reports of a shower of frogs would be followed by reports of a pond being suddenly and mysteriously emptied in a nearby part of the country wouldn’t you? After all, the frogs don’t just hang around on the surface waiting to be sucked up, do they? Surely the falling pond frogs should be accompanied by weeds, old boots and lost fishing rods? 😉
Buried words and Bushwa. 
When I was a boy we lived in an apartment for a while… I used to throw water and other things out the window onto passers by. Never an alligator, though. 😀
I love strange stories but an alligator? Too much. I can just imagine a small boy dreaming of wrestling an angry reptile into the elevator and then shoving it out of the window onto unsuspecting pedestrians…
Can you imagine how you would feel now if a little ratbag threw a water bomb onto you while you were out? I can see you storming up there and throwing him out of his own window while you scream “Do you know how much this jacket cost?” after him 😀
Probably… 😀
It happened, in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, with a whale. It ended up as whale meat when it hit the ground… which rhymes with round. The whale’s last thoughts were: “I wonder if it will be friends with me?”
I loved that bit 🙂 I don’t think there wouldn’t be any witnesses to that event though, I think the impact and aftermath would take out anyone within sight of it!
I would be more likely to believe the alligator rain if it didn’t have the word ‘live’ in the story. If they reported an alligator shaped hole in the ground, filled with mush, then I would be more likely to go along with it! 🙂
I think maggots are worse: http://news.uk.msn.com/odd-news/photos/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=150370173&page=3
Yuck. Maggot rain would make the birds pretty happy though!
“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”
Tornadoes pick up and fling an wild assortment of people, animals and objects (houses, cars, etc.) Not sure if they are a normal weather pattern in Australia, but in some areas of the U.S they are part of summer. Not so much where I live, but there was one not far from the city last week (on Long Island) and once in a while there’s an Amazing Story on the local news about a tornado swooping down and pulling up trees. Crazy, scary in a city.
I’ll bet more than a few of the “falling from the sky” tales started with Twisters!
We get winds called willy-willys here, they are like a very watered down version of a tornado and are more entertaining than harmful.
I can see that tornadoes would be guilty of a few ‘falling from the sky’ stories but they are pretty indiscriminate aren’t they? You don’t get a rain of cows without also having to dodge haystacks and the occasional stray piece of house or farm machinery.
It is the selectiveness of these fish or frog showers that is interesting. Often they are reported to only contain a single species of creature. I am not sure if this is because the one doing the identifying just looks for generalized fishiness and says “yep, all the same” or if they really are the same type.
Either way I would like to see one with my own eyes, everyone else will be standing there going “wow! frogs!” and I will be the one collecting evidence, saying “I’m not sure there is enough wind for this, where is the pond weed, how far away is the nearest body of water? CAN SOMEONE GET ME A BOWL!!” 😀
I’m with you — collect the evidence!
FYI… just reposted the link to this on Twitter. I think more of my US friends would enjoy these virtual visits to Australia. I certainly do.
Thank you 🙂 I’m so glad that you enjoy them.
-giggles- You have a real way with words Metan – ‘unless that body part had already been amputated…..’ cracked me up. Both cats and the dog looked up in fright as I sat here cackling. Nice one. 😀
😀 Can you imagine finding buttery blobs in your garden one day and deciding that they would probably do your manky leg or arm the world of good!? Blimey…..
If I found a roast dinner and all the trimmings in the garden, having fallen from the sky I wouldn’t be likely to feed it to the dog, let alone the family, so there is no way a blob of unidentifiable origin is going to get smeared on me!
I have to say I’m not that impressed with mana from heaven either! Ok on the compost I suppose…
I would love to see the glow in the dark tomatoes that the alien manna grew!
lmao – we don’t need alien manna for that – just grab some yummy GM goodies – I’m sure they’ll be glowing soon. 😉