UFO Fall in Hawthorne Analyzed as Slag

Summary

A mysterious object fell in Hawthorne, California, in September 1967, leaving a woman surprised when she found a rock-like material on her doorstep. The object, the size of a fist and porous in appearance, was accompanied by small similar fragments. The Air Force analyzed it and concluded it was steel slag, a common material found in steel mills. Additionally, a small metal fragment turned out to be unalloyed iron, a very common material.

Local authorities and the Air Force collaborated to determine the object's origin. Although initially thought to be a meteorite or a rocket fragment, analyses ruled out these possibilities. The slag and iron showed no characteristics of space material or meteorites. Ultimately, it was determined the object was an industrial byproduct, easily found in steel mill scrap piles. This case illustrates how the inexplicable often has a simple explanation.