When a meteorite fell in Serbia in 1877, people first thought it was the Turks attacking
When a meteorite fell in Serbia in 1877, people first thought it was the Turks attacking
Historically speaking, a state of quarrel, conflict, tension and unfortunately many times also war, has been consistently present among various Balkan countries. Some disputes from the past are like monsters that still cast their shadows to date. So this state of tension and conflict have become so normalized over time that there had been some instances when, even natural phenomena, such as meteorite falling, has been mistaken by some as an attack.
Such confusion brings us to Serbia, where in early October 1877, rumors in Belgrade had it that something strange, unexplainable happened near Aleksinac (near Sokobanja), that a heavy shooting had been heard. In that period, the country has been between two wars, hence the various considerations. Not only in Belgrade people were afraid that somebody attacked, they were also around Banja.
One group has considered that it was the Turks, who would have crossed the border, trespassing the territory, to attack Banja. Luckily, they were not right. It was the other group of people and their speculations that turned out right. That perhaps some hot rocks fell from the skies.
Natural History Center of Serbia in Svilajnac, meteorites from Sokobanja, Jelica, and Dimitrovgrad, photo credit
The official report of what really happened that early October 1877, had been delivered to Belgrade only a year later, and it confirmed it was a meteorite. Reportedly, four pieces of rock were also brought to the Serbian Ministry of Interior, after which a more thorough investigation had been carried to find out the details of what happened.
The investigation results, or the research, were issued in 1880 in the Gazette of Srpsko uceno drustvo, and it described the very first meteorite case that was registered, documented and researched on the territory of Serbia — the Soko-Banja meteorite. All pieces of the meteorite weighted some 48 kilograms together, and each had been specifically described. Some bits were also exchanged with other museums from around the world, which in return, helped Belgrade gain 92 other samples of meteorites from museums and collections abroad (these were all lost during World War One).
Most of the Soko-Banja meteorite sits safe and sound in the Natural History Museum in Belgrade today.
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