The day stones fell on L'Aigle

Long ago, people told stories of stones falling from the sky. But most scientists thought these stories were mistakes.

In 1794, a German scientist called Ernst Chladni wrote a book. He said that fireballs and fallen stones really came from space. Many people laughed at the idea.

Then, on 26 April 1803, something amazing happened near the town of L'Aigle in France. In the middle of the day, people heard loud bangs. Then about 3,000 stones rained down on the fields and lanes around the town.

A young scientist called Jean-Baptiste Biot was sent to find out what had happened. He talked to people who had seen it. He collected stones and mapped where they fell.

He showed that the stones were not like any rocks from nearby. They had all fallen at the same time, from the sky.

After that, scientists agreed. Stones really do fall from space. The science of meteorites had begun.