The Qingyang Stone Fall
Chinese records say stones fell like rain over a city in 1490, with a terrible loss of life.
What was reported
Chinese records from the Ming dynasty describe stones falling 'like rain' at Qingyang, in Gansu province, in 1490. The largest were said to be the size of a goose's egg, the smallest the size of a water chestnut.
Some later accounts say more than 10,000 people died, which would make it by far the deadliest meteorite event known.
Explanations offered
Some researchers think a large stony meteorite broke up in the air and showered the area with fragments, like the L'Aigle fall but much bigger. Others doubt the death toll, which appears only in later sources, or suggest a severe hailstorm. No fragments from the event have been identified.
- When
- 1490
- Where
- Qingyang, Gansu, China
- Witnesses
- Recorded in Chinese chronicles
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.