ABSTRACT
In the light of all the recent interest in meteorite impacts, it is interesting to recall that it is not so long since highly intelligent people were extremely sceptical of the very idea that lumps of stone and/or iron were falling from time to time on the earth from outer space. Despite Thomas Jefferson’s disbelief, many hundreds of meteorites have been found scattered over the earth’s surface. Meteorites are usually found lying loose on the earth’s surface, perhaps turned up by a farmer’s plough. Ancient man, in fact, used iron meteorites as a source of metal. Harry St John Philby’s speculation was correct. L J Spencer of the British Museum was able to confirm without doubt that the iron rabbit was part of an iron meteorite. There was also another good reason for looking skywards. A meteorite impact theory of extinction has been championed by Luis Alvarez, his geologist son Walter and several Berkeley colleagues.
