FT265


MYSTERY METAL
Odd bits of metal have fallen from the sky for centuries, as Charles Fort recorded in his books. Today we have possible sources such as satellites and high-flying aircraft that did not exist in Fort’s time, while some recent apparent falls have boasted an industrial origin.

Al Smith was shifting a sofa with a forklift in his moving company’s warehouse in Jersey City, New Jersey, on the morning of 18 February 2009 when a brick-sized chunk of hot metal smashed through a wooden roof beam and shelf right next to him. After an examination, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said the object was not from a plane.