The Chi’yang Event
Weather may be dangerous and terrible. According to legend, the 1900 Galveston hurricane claimed the lives of 8,000 to 12,000 individuals. Up to 500,000 people may have perished in the Bhola cyclone of 1970. In the US, lightning claims the lives of about 20 individuals each year. In certain cases, hail has even killed people. What about other aerial destruction, though? How dangerous is it when it rains fire?
People in Ch'ing-yang, China, witnessed what is now thought to have been an exploding asteroid around the year 1490. However, at the time it was viewed as a hail of rocks scattering death and disaster throughout the countryside. At least 10,000 people are thought to have perished in the incident. According to reports, the stones that dropped ranged in weight from 1 to 1.5 kilos. Some were supposed to be the size of water chestnuts, while others were supposed to be the size of goose eggs. However, they were also falling from space, and they must have been moving at an unbelievable speed. There is precedent for items breaking into many thousands of pieces, which could explain the death toll if it occurred in a populous region, and historical accounts of the incident are thought to be accurate.
Time: 1490
Location: China
