Benld is an ordinary chondrite (H6) that fell the morning of September 29th, 1938, in Macoupin County, Illinois.
The Benld meteorite was only the second meteorite recovered in Illinois (there are now 10 recognized meteorites from the state), and its fall was quite spectacular.
The meteorite was described by B.H. Wilson in Popular Astronomy (1938) as “crashing out of the battlements of heaven, aimed apparently with the precision of a crack artilleryman, not only striking but penetrating the roof of a garage, as well as the car inside, thereby creating a situation, which, in several respects, is believed to be unique in the annals of meteoric phenomena”.
The Benld meteorite was also featured in the Joliet Herald-News (October 1, 1938) under the headline “Should Have Had Meteorite Insurance”.
Witnesses to the meteorite’s fall did not observe a fireball, and some mistook the sound of the stone’s entry for that of a plane’s engine.
