Historical List of Harmful Meteorites

Abstract

As is known, the possibility of stones falling from the sky was completely confirmed by scientists only in the early 19th century. The problem of the asteroid-comet hazard is now being actively discussed, because the consequences of the fall of large cosmic bodies on the Earth can be catastrophic and affect the survival of humanity and all living beings. Fragments of smaller celestial bodies, e.g. meteorites, fall to the earth much more often, and they can also create a certain danger. In several papers that were published about 20 years ago, attempts were made to compile a list of events related to the damage caused by meteorites falling from the sky. In this work, we systematized, analyzed and critically revised information previously published in many sources about cases of damage to the property or human health as a result of fallen meteorites until May 2019. The key criteria were the data of meteoritic bulletins and catalogs, proving the existence of extraterrestrial material collected on the site, and studied later. The created list will allow us to evaluate how significant this threat is for humanity.