The L'Aigle Meteorites

April 26, 1803 - In the early afternoon of this day, people in the small town of L'Aigle in Normandy, France were treated to a fantastic shower of meteorites that hissed to the ground as a brilliant fireball streaked across the sky.

There were three loud detonations and the ground reverberations could be felt for ten minutes. Over 3000 fragments were gathered by the townspeople and the study of these mysterious rocks became a pivotal moment in the understanding of meteorites. Until this well-recorded event there was no consensus on the origins of meteorites.

French scientist Jean-Baptise Biot investigated the incident thoroughly and his definitive analysis confirmed that the fragments were indeed extraterrestrial. In effect, this was the birth of meteorite science.