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A woodcut showing a rain of frogs in Scandinavia, from 'Prodigiorum ac Ostentorum Chronicon,' one of the first modern books about strange phenomenon, was published in 1557. The rain of frogs happened in 1355.
Tremendous number of little toads, one or two months old, that were seen to fall from a great thick cloud that appeared suddenly in a sky that had been cloudless, August, 1804, near Toulouse, France.
In August, 1814, after several weeks of drought and heat, a storm broke one Sunday about 3:30 p. m., upon the village of Fremon, a quarter league from Amiens (France). This storm was preceded by bursts of wind so violent that they shook the church and frightened the congregation. While traversing the space separating the church from presbytery, we were soaked, but what surprised me was to be struck on my person and my clothing by small frogs. A large number of these small animals hopped about on the ground. On arriving at the presbytery, we found the floor of one of the rooms in which window facing the storm had been left open covered with water and frogs. (no origin account found)
Some of the hail-stones, says the Fredericksburg News, during the hail storm which passed over that section on the 1st instant, weighed six pounds. About 100 frogs were also rained down on the devoted city of Fredericksburg. [this is one of the rare cases were two unusual phenomena are combined] Source: The Western Democrat (Charlotte, North Carolina), 21 July 1857, front page
Shower of frogs - In the neighbourhood of Artesia, in Lowndes County, Mississippi, it rained frogs last week. The ground was perfectly black with them. Source: The Penny Press (Cincinnati, Ohio), 27 Aug. 1859, front page
Where Do Those Frogs Come From? During the storm on Sunday night, two breaks occurred in the Ohio canal one mile from Dover. Dry Hollow, a small ravine in the plains near Dover, was flooded to the depth of several feet Fences were swept away by the current across two or three farms. On Monday morning several persons thought that from the noises in the hollow, there must be a large flock of sheep in the water, among the rails and other debris, and unable to reach dry land. Others whose hearing was equally acute, declared that the noises resembled the brawling of hundreds of calves, more than the bleating of sheep. Owners of stock figured up, in imagination, heavy losses, and proceeded with anxious countenances to rescue as many of the animals as had survived the storm during the night. But on reaching the spot whence the piteous noises proceeded, no sheep nor calves were to ba seen. Instead, however, there were thousands of large bullfrog, perched upon rails and logs, and each one exerting himself to the utmost to make a louder croak than his neighbor. Now, the question is, were these frogs rained down, from the clouds with the sheets of water that fell during the night, or did they travel from the river, a distance of nearly a mile, during the rain? There are no ponds in "Dry Hollow," and the frogs certainly came from some locality. Tuscarawas (0.) Chronicle. Source: Public ledger (Memphis, Tennessee), 23 July 1866, front page
A Shower of Fish and Frogs It's a fact, and every man, woman, and child in Limerick will swear to it, that fish andd frogs in countless numbers were rained down from the clouds on Monday evening in that suburb, and filled the puddles and laid scattered over the ground in countless numbers. Who will dare to say after this that Limerick is not a suburb of more than ordinary advantages. Louisville Ledger. Source: The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kentucky), 29 June 1872, page 4
Was it a Shower of Frogs? In the town of Coventry, the other day, a road was shoveled through snow from four to six feet deep a distance of 40 rods, and, the next morning, the road was strewn with frogs and lizards, there probably being two bushels at least. It Is a mystery where they came from. One theory Is that a nest where they were wintering was stirred up. Some, however, think there was a shower or frogs the night before, as it rained quite heavily. If the former theory is correct, the reptiles must have been wintering In the snow, as the workmen did not shovel in any place to within a foot of the earth. The occurrence presents question for the curious to solve. Source: Vermont Phœnix (Brattleboro, Vermont), 19 May 1876, front page [a rare case, where two different species of animals rained down]
Last Thursday hundreds of small frogs were rained down in the streets of Pulaski. They all hopped straight towards the branch the first hop. Source: The Pulaski Citizen (Pulaski, Tennessee), 20 July 1882, page 3
Frogs are "rained down" and there is no doubting it. Tuesday morning last just after a heavy shower of rain, the cellar, which, Perley has-just-dug on Commercial street contained not less than one thousand live frogs, of different sizes some of them large enough for a Frenchman's dinner, and others about three removes from a tadpole. How they came in the cellar is a mystery we should like to have explained. The cellar contained no water previous to the rain shower alluded to. Source: The Kansas news (Emporia, Kansas), 06 Aug. 1859, page 3
A RAIN OF FROGS IN ARIZONA. The phenomenon familiarly known as the rain of frogs has been ridiculed and contradicted by certain scientists: nevertheless, there is abundant proof to show that it has occurred, and probably will again. In 1864, the writer, in company with some fifty other travelers, had personal experience of the fact. We were in Arizona, not less than twenty miles from any stream, pond or water. The day was extremely sultry, and we had halted to let the animals graze and rest for an hour or two. Not a living thing besides ourselves and horses was in sight, and certainly no frogs were hopping over the rich, tufted gramma-grass, which covered the ground for miles in every direction. Suddenly a dense, black cloud made its appearance, and it soon began to discharge a copious rain upon our un sheltered heads. The drops were very large, and the water quiet warm. Nearly every person wore a broad-brimmed felt hat, which proved a great protection against the rain as well as against the sun. Our attention was soon arrested by the pelting of something which struck our hats like hail, but which proved to be frogs, and in less than two minutes the grass was fairly alive with those creatures Several of the party took some from their hat-rims. Our unexpected visitors were all of one size, about a quarter of an inch long from nose to rump, very lively, and apparently in the best condition. Their tail had been broken by the springy, resilient nature of the grass. It is not probable that several hundred thousand, perhaps millions of frogs had suddenly been hatched into life in the ground by the rain, or, if they had, that in their infantile glee they jumped five feet eleven inches from the earth to the top of our heads merely to show how the game, of leap-frog should be played. Nor had they any such caudal appendages as are generally attached to juvenile rana. They came from above in company with the rain; and this fact was made clear by holding out the hand and seeing their fall upon it, as well as finding them on our hat-rims. The eggs from which these reptiles sprung, had undoubtedly been drawn up into the atmosphere by the action of a water-spout, and held in suspension with aqueous particles long enough to hatch them out and give them perfect form; then, by the force of mutual attraction, the separated particles of vapor got together in such masses as to form heavy sheets of water, which, in turn, be came amenable to tine law of attraction of gravitation, returning to the earth from whence it had been drawn. In the fall new divisions were created, called "drops," among which the frogs descended, having been, obedient to similar forces, moving with the aqueous particles. This instance is cited to show that other things besides vapor are translated from earth to atmosphere by certain well-known and accredited developments of natural laws. Source: Overland monthly and Out West magazine, Volume 7, Issue 1, July 1871; page 37-38
A gentleman of this town, who was at Seneca City on Sunday last, and who has character for veracity, says that it rained down frogs in abundance at that place on that morning. As an evidence that they came from the clouds, he states that they were seen to fall into a house through a broken window pane, and that a sprinkling pot that was filled with rain water had several frogs in it. Considering the size of the opening in a sprinkling pot, they certainly must have come thick and fast in order for several to have gotten into a single vessel of that kind. Source: The Anderson Intelligencer (Anderson Court House, South Carolina), 08 April 1880, page 3
Rained Fish and Frogs. Leavenworth, Ind., Aug. 1. Minute fish and frogs fell hero Thursday in a regular shower. The fish were three fourths of an inch in length, and the frogs less than one-half inch. Many were preserved in alcohol by the citizens, to convince, skeptics that the phenomena really occurred. Source: The evening bulletin (Maysville, Kentucky), 01 Aug. 1891, page 4
A Rain Of Frogs A dispatch from Cambridgeport, Mass., on Tuesday, says : "It I rained frogs at Cambridgeport during a fierce shower this afternoon. Tens of thousands of them fell over a small area—perfectly formed little fellows, dark brown, almost black in color, not more than an inch and with uncommonly prominent eyes. Where they came from and how they got here scientists must answer if they can, but here they are and none the worse for their serial journey. They appeared as in a twinkling and streets and sidewalks fairly swarmed with the liveliest sort of a hopping army where none was to be seen a minute before." Source: Sullivan republican (Laporte, Pennsylvania), 03 Aug. 1894, page 3 The same frog fall was reported in more detail in the following newspaper: Whence Came Those Frogs? From the Boston Journal. It rained frogs in Cambrldgeport yesterday afternoon. Genuine, hopping, and very lively frogs they were, and they arrived on earth not a particle the worse for their experience of rapid transit from the skies. A Journal man was in the very midst of the shower which brought the queer visitors, and studied them closely at close range and at first hand. About 2 o'clock a heavy rain cloud blew up from the west, whose ominous blackness made people hurry for protection. When it finally broke the rain descended in a lively fashion for three-quarter of an hour or so. When the downpour ceased the wet street and sidewalk were fairly alive with tiny frogs, which skipped about as if each was under the influence of a galvanic battery. Every puddle swarmed with them. It was impossible to make a forward step without crushing a dozen of the celestial immigrants. Looking over the fences into the neighboring gardens they could be discerned by hundreds hopping about among the plants. They were the smallest of frogs. Their bodies were not over three-quarters of an inch in length, and fifty of them would not fill an ordinary tumbler. In color they were a dark brown, almost black, and they had big, beady black eyes, which were uncommonly keen. The little fellows were perfectly formed frogs. The Journal Investigator corralled about twenty in the angle of a fence and looked them all over in the interest of science. Not the vestige of a tail could he find on any one of them, which showed that they had all gone safely through the tadpole stage of existence. Moving slowly along Pearl street he was soon made aware of another fact. The frogs were not distributed with a generous universality. In fact, the territory where they might be found was comparatively small. The question is, where did these frogs come from! Before the shower the reporter had bean walking up and down through a mile or more of streets in that district and had not seen so much as a toad. All was parched and lifeless. But almost simultaneously with the rain came thousands of the little animals, congregated in such vast numbers that the highway seemed alive with them. Passing wheels crushed them by scores and children gathered them up in tin cans at the curb and compounded horrible messes of squirming reptiles. If they did not ruin down from the clouds, pray where did they come from? Source: The Sun (New York, N.Y.), 04 Aug. 1894, page 7
WHENCE CAME THE FROGS? A Shower In New Jersey Suggest Some Scientific Speculation. During a thunderstorm in New Jersey lately it "rained frogs" to such an extent that , according to the testimony of multitudinous witnesses , the streets of Port Morris were alive with hundreds of these creatures. Here's a state of things which science can no more explain to-day than it could two thousand years ago. It is still said, of course, that these frogs were sucked up in marshes and carried into the clouds, but no human being ever yet saw a frog thus taken up and it is odd that nothing is ever "raised to eminence in this way except the frog, though plenty of other living things may be near by all ready to be sucked up. A good many observers hold to the curious and interesting opinion that under certain very rare electrical conditions life seems generated spontaneously. The frog is a peculiarly electrical creature, and in fact, first suggested the existence of animal magnetism as a distinct force to science. If any animal could be thus suddenly and strangely called into being it might well be the frog. Now that the university extension professors are setting to work teaching the people science, it would be interesting to hear them explain mysteries such-as the descent of frogs, which has been the talk of Port Morris and all the region round about. Source: The McCook tribune (McCook, Nebraska), 29 Oct. 1897, page 6
It rained frogs in Missouri Wednesday. Philip Shearer, a farmer near Mexico reports that from 8.000 to 10.000 of the batrachians fell on his place. They were of all sizes, and very much alive. Look out for a glut in the frog-leg market. Source: The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 20 May 1892, page 2
It Rained Frogs. Pine Bluff, Ark., Sept. 29.— This evening a tremendous rain poured down with millions of small frogs. The principal streets in the business part of town were covered with these pests, in half an hour nearly all disappeared. Source: St. Paul Daily Globe. (Saint Paul, Minnesota), 30 Sept. 1893, page 4
SHOWER OF FROGS. Rained Down During Storm at Medora, Ill. Medora, Ill., June 7. "After a severe rain and wind storm early Thursday morning, frogs of all sizes were found in various sections of this city. In some instances the animals weighed over a pound, and many families dined on the delicacy of frog legs. In falling the frogs were killed, some being found badly mashed. It is believed that the wind sucked them up into the air, and that they came down with the rain. Source: The Brownsville daily herald (Brownsville, Texas), 13 June 1901, front page
It Rained Frogs Rochester N.Y., June 24. Frogs rained down for two hours in Albion. The entire village was covered with dead and dying frogs. Source: Owingsville Outlook. (Owingsville, Kentucky), 27 June 1901, page 3
RAINED FROGS. Peculiar Phenomenon Reported From Minneapolis. Minneapolis, Minn., July 3. - (Spl.) - If the veracity of over 100 residents in the vicinity of the pioneer steel elevator can be relied on, there appeared in that part of the city Tuesday a most peculiar phenomenon a rain of frogs. So thick was the consignment that in some places on the sidewalks and in the street travel was, impossible. Source: Akron daily Democrat (Akron, Ohio), 03 July 1901, front page
FROGS FROGS STOPPED TRAIN Ithaca N.Y. July 7 - All Ithaca is suffering from a frog pest after the recent heavy rains. The frogs have appeared in great numbers. The ground in the vicinity of Renwick Park is covered with them. A train which left for Auburn late last night had difficulty in working its way through the myriads which appeared on the tracks. The tracks became so slippery from the ones killed that the wheels would not take and bold of the rails. Traffic on a branch of the Ithaca street railway running in Stewart avenue has been impeded and thousands of frogs appeared in the vacant lots south of the Fiske McGraw mansion. The little animals have invaded houses and destroyed many gardens in the lower part of the city. It is I difficult to proceed on the walks in that that vicinity. Source: The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kentucky), 12 July 1901, page 4
Minneapolis, Minnesota was pelted with frogs and toads in July, 1901. A news item stated: "When the storm was at its highest... there appeared as if descending directly from the sky a huge green mass. Then followed a peculiar patter, unlike that of rain or hail. When the storm abated the people found, three inches deep and covering an area of more than four blocks, a collection of a most striking variety of frogs... so thick in some places travel was impossible." (I didn't find the original news article, but the next paragraph gives the same date and place, so this is probably the same event): "PLAGUE OF FROGS Bicyclists Run Over Them by the Thousands. New York Sun Special Services. Seneca Falls, N. Y., July 32.—Wheelmen on the path through the marshes around this village came home with their wheels literally dripping with blood and would be pedestrians shun the open country because of the plague of frogs. There are many millions of them, none ever an inch long. hatched and protected by unusually favorable conditions. As the frogs are of the edible brand epicures are looking forward to a feast." (The Minneapolis journal, July 12, 1901)
Heavy Shower of Frogs. NEWPORT. Ind. July 29. - During the rain on last Monday morning at Hillsdale not less than a carload of young frogs was rained down en the streets. They were so thick that a person could not move with out stepping on them. There was not a frog In town before the rain. Source: The Indianapolis journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 30 July 1902, page 4
Michigan City had a remarkable invasion of frogs which seemed to have been rained down last week. Thousands of them appeared oh the streets and lawns Thursday night, and especially under the glare of electric lamps, to catch insects attracted by the light. They approached lighted doorways and even invaded homes. There were frogs of all sizes from the normal down to those no larger than a pea. and the remains of them are seen in streets and on sidewalks, where they were crushed by vehicles or by pedestrians. Source: The Plymouth Tribune (Plymouth, Indiana), 02 Oct. 1902, page 5
Rained Fishes and Frogs. KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 26 The report comes from Fort Scott that in one of the heaviest storms which ever visited that section of Kansas thousands of small fishes and frogs fell from the sky. The market place was covered and thousands of the fishes were taken from pools of water loft by the rain. Source: The Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah), 27 June 1904, page 11 [ Scientific American (July 12, 1873) reported another shower of frogs which darkened the air and covered the ground for a long distance is the reported result of a recent rainstorm at Kansas City, Mo."]
LITTLE GREEN FROGS Rained Down By Thousands In Alton Illinois Yesterday Alton Ill. Juno 24 - A heavy rain storm accompanied by a gale swept over Alton and a deluge of little green frogs was precipitated. They fell so plentifully that thousands were hopping around the streets Pedestrians and vehicles crushed them by the hundreds It is believed the frogs were scooped from the marshy low lands by the heavy winds carried over the city and dropped. Source: Palestine daily herald (Palestine, Texas), 26 June 1906, page 2
RAINED GREEN FROGS AND BOYS WERE HAPPY WILMINGTON Del. July 21. It rained little green frogs here last night. Thousands of the specimens descended during a heavy storm and today they covered the ground in many sections. of Wilmington. The frogs were about a half inch in length and were queer looking. One place in particular where they were in evidence in large numbers was the Christiana river. It is generally believed they dropped from the clouds. Myriads of them hopped away others jumped into the river while countless others were killed by boys. Source: The Washington Times (Washington D.C.), 22 July 1906, page 10
RAINED RAINED FROGS Shower of Toads Fell Near Beverly Following the hard rain Thursday he public road for a distance of two miles near Beverly was found to be literally alive with small frogs about an inch long that hopped about in countless numbers. It is believed that they fell from the clouds though one scientist says the rain drove them out of the ground. Source: Hopkinsville Kentuckian (Hopkinsville, Kentucky), 13 July 1907, page 4
Hardin county has experienced the wonderful phenomenon of a shower of frogs near Nolin during a heavy rain storm frogs fell from the clouds by the millions. They were found over a territory two miles square as thick as grasshoppers in a harvest field. The were small in size, green upon the back and bore close resemblance to bull frogs. Source: The interior Journal (Stanford, Kentucky), 19 July 1907, page 4
IT RAINED FROGS Utica NY, July 11. A message from Gouverneur states that in a heavy wind and rainstorm there thousands of small frogs fell covering sidewalks to such an extent that walking was difficult. The rails on a railroad for half a mile were covered and rendered so slippery that the speed of the trains was materially lessened. Source: The Salt Lake herald (Salt Lake City, Utah), 12 July 1909, front page
II RAINED FROGS OLYMPIA, Nov. —While returning from a hunting trip near Plum station, about fourteen miles south of here, today, two hunters, Will Roseman, an employe of the state land office, and James Fennell, were in the midst of a shower of frogs, which made it nearly impossible for them to proceed on their way. The buggy in which they were riding was literally covered, and the road almost became impassable on account of the slipper underfootlng, the bodies of the frogs tripping the horse. They aver that it took them nearly an hour to make a mile before the flood of frogs ceased. Source: The Tacoma times (Tacoma, Washingston), 29 Nov. 1909, page 7
MANY FROGS RAINED DOWN. Now They Are In Possession of Downs Mud Puddles. Downs, Kan., June 1. A good soaking rain fell here. After the intense heat many people feared a storm, but it was only a good old fashioned rain, accompanied by a multitude of frogs who are now in possession of all the mud puddles. Source: The Topeka State journal (Topeka, Kansas), 01 June 1911, page 3
A shower of small frogs and minnows fell at Pana last Thursday morning. The larger frogs were killed but the smaller ones lay stunned for a few minutes and then hopped away. The fish were all killed and ranged from a half an inch to two inches in length. Old settlers say this is the first time it has rained frogs in and around Pana since 1855. It is supposed that a small cyclone sucked the contents of some pond into the clouds which caused the strange occurrence. Hillsboro (Ill.) News. Source: The Cape County herald (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), 22 Sept. 1911, page 8
"Rain of Frogs" Causes Disputes. Pierre.—The disputed question here is whether a driving shower at this city really "rained frogs," or, from what source the appeared so suddenly, following the dash of rain and hail. None were to be seen about before the shower, and immediately after it had passed they were hopping over the sidewalks and streets by hundreds in certain sections of the city. Whether Observer Rowe says he is certain that frogs do rain down at times, as he found hundreds of them on the top of a large flat roof building at one time following a heavy dashing rain, with certain knowledge "that they were not on the roof before that time, and his work called him to that roof a number of times every day. Source: Dakota farmers' leader (Canton, South Dakota), 10 July 1914, page 5
Frogs Rained in Texas. Thousands of small green frogs were precipitated upon the streets of Weatherford, Texas, Wednesday, during one of the heaviest rainstorms, in years. The phenomenon created considerable excitement and overshadowed the damage done to store basements by the sudden rush of water. Source: The Guthrie daily leader (Guthrie, Oklahoma), 20 May 1915, page 6
The Monthly Weather Review, May 1917, included some toad falls in France:
In the summer of 1794 M. Gayet was quartered in the village of Lalain, Department du Nord, near the territory which the Austrians, then masters of Valenciennes, had flooded with water from the Scarps. It was very hot. Suddenly, at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, there fell such an abundance of rain that 150 men of the grand guard, in order not to be submerged, were obliged to leave a large depression in which they were hidden. But what was their surprise when there began to fall on the ground all about a considerable number of toads, the size of hazelnuts, which began to jump about in every direction. M. Gayet who could not believe that these myriads of reptiles fell with the rain, stretched out his handkerchief at the height of a man, his comrades holding the corners; they caught a considerable number of toads, most of which had the posterior part elongated into a tail, that is to say, in the tadpole state. During this rain storm, which lasted about half an hour, the men of the grand guard felt very distinctly on their hats and on their clothing the blows struck by the falling toads. As a final proof of the reality of this phenomenon, M. Gayet reports that after the storm the three-cornered hats of the men of the guard held in their folds some of the reptiles.
Rained Frogs at Junction City. Junction City, Kan., May 13. For twenty-four hours it rained frogs here, at least that would be the reason as signed in the ancient times, for the plague of green croakers which descended upon this city following the recent heavy rains. Millions of them, one would judge from the great disturbance their nightly concerts creates, are concentrated in a low portion of ground near the business section of the city. Their chorus may be heard for more than a half mile and the noise drowns out that of the switch engines in the nearby railroad yards. The steady rain softened the earth so that the frogs buried under the ground were able to crawl out. Source: The Topeka State journal (Topeka, Kansas), 13 May 1921, page 6
FROGS, SAND RAINED IN THUNDER SHOWER Gibraltar, June 25. During a thunderstorm here recently a shower of frogs fell on the North Front. Thousands of these small bopping creatures were to be seen in the hedges and aroused much curiosity. Seven years ago a similar phenomenon occurred and later a shower of sand covered everything with a pink deposit. [Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean] Source: Bisbee daily review (Bisbee, Arizona), 26 June 1921, page 7
DOES IT RAIN FROGS, OR DO THEY JUST HAPPEN? IS A QUESTION THAT PANHANDLERS DISAGREE ON Panhandle, July 5. A shower of frogs numbering millions was rained down here Tuesday night. That is, a large percentage of the people here declare the frogs rained down, while others maintain they reached the town in some other way. At any rate an army of frogs appeared following the rain. When Panhandle people awoke Tuesday morning the hopping, jumping visitors were everywhere. They were here at 5 o'clock and by 10 o'clock all were gone with the exception of those whose hops were too short to keep up with the procession. In size they were as large as the end of the thumb and as small as the tip of the little finger. The hordes of hopping visitors left toward the south. While the bulk of the. strange visitors were passing through, hundreds were run over and killed by automobiles. So thick were the froglets one could not step out on the street with mashing numbers of them. Every street and alley was filled with frogs. When a building stood in their path, they did not attempt to jump over but hopped around and kept on their general course. Life's old question "Whence and Whither" is revived by the sudden visit and as sudden departure of frogs in Panhandle. Women as well as men disagree on the origin and destiny of the frogs. Women are divided about 50-50 on the theory that they fell from the clouds while two out of five men maintain they were young toads hatched simultaneously from eggs deposited in the ground. The sky theorists claim the embryonic pollywogs were attracted from their earth abode by the sun to fall on earth in the form of young frogs. That there are no lakes or other bodies of water near Panhandle daunts them not, for they say the eggs may have been originally deposited in Lake Champlain or the Caribbean Sea. Once drawn into the air they were carried by the breeze to the vicinity of Panhandle and fell with the rain. Others says the warm rains had nothing to do with the frogs visitation further than to bring about the hatching of million of eggs at, the same time and that the procession moving through the town was nothing more than a gratification of the migratory nature of the hoppers soon as they were old enough to travel. Anyway the frogs have come and gone with the exception 0f a flew stragglers. They left no damage in their wake hut a decided indifference among the people as to where they came from and where they went. Source: The Lubbock avalanche (Lubbock, Texas), 07 July 1921, second section page 16
Gainesville's Frog Sensation Exploded by Federal Experts (By Associated Press.) Gainesville, July 26 -No frogs fell from the sky here Thursday night and Friday morning and so far as local experts on "frogology" have been able to ascertain, such a phenomenon never has occurred any where else. It rained heavily here and the presence of thousands of small frogs hopping about Friday morning after the downpour resulted in the sending out of news stories to the effect that it had rained frogs. The Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, and other authorities, declare that the presence of multitudes of small frogs after heavy rains often results in reports that frogs have fallen from the clouds but that the idea is all wrong. The frogs were there before the downpour, hidden in cracks and crevices of the earth. An unusually heavy rain simply floods their hiding places and they are forced to abandon them and come out into the open or drown. Source: Palatka daily news (Palatka, Florida), 28 July 1921, page 3
London newspapers reported that on August 17,1921 innumerable little frogs appeared during a thunderstorm in the northern part of London. Mrs S. Mowday went to see a Royal Navy display on the Meadow Platt in Sutton Park, near Birmingham, on June 12th, 1954, and recounted: "I attended the display with my young son and daughter. It was a Saturday and there were frequent heavy showers...We tried to shelter from a shower under the trees...when we were bombarded by tiny frogs, which seemed to come down with the rain. There were literally thousands of them. They descended on our umbrellas, on us and we were afraid to walk for fear of treading on them." [original account not found]
THE TOP OF THE HILL. Frogs and Fish. Dear "Non-Com,"-Like the Ripley series these yarns are "strange but true" and the team can believe them or not. Many strange things happen in the bush and perhaps one of the strangest in my experience happened on Murgoo station in 1919. I had been contract fencing, and pulled into the shearing shed to replenish my water tank. It was late November and we were passing through an extra special heat wave. Having hobbled the camels our and boiled the billy, I sat down to enjoy my evening meal of kangaroo, bacon and damper. It was a stifling hot night am suddenly a blue-black cloud appeared on the nor'-west horizon. With amazing rapidity the sky became black and over cast, followed by a fierce electrical storm. And the rain! It fairly teemed, but it was not the rain that amazed me, but what came with the rain. Nothing else but thousands of minute but perfectly formed black frogs! The rain only lasted fifteen minutes, so taking a lantern went forth to study this strange phenomena. There they were in their thousands, almost black in colour, perfectly formed and croaking lustily as they hopped her and there. Being camped alongside a considerable sized creek, the water quickly drained away into it and very soon it was running a banker. Watching the frogs with keen interest, I noticed that as the ground started to dry up they were all making for the creek. On reaching the bank hundreds quickly burrowed into the wet sand, while others continued on and pushed into the stream. I camped there for two more nights on account of the country being water logged and camels are useless without a firm footing. The noise of their concerted hearty croaking was deafening especially to one used to the silence of the bush. On the third day I broke camp. The creek by this time was just a series of pools, but the frogs still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Returning a fort night later, the creek was silent and I dug down in the moist sand about four feet. But not one solitary frog could I find. Another experience almost identical with this occurred on the same station some years later, but this time it concerned fish and not frogs. I was kangarooing this time and had a native named Billy shooting for me. The country we were in on the banks of the Sandford River was interspersed with a great number of oval-shaped depressions known in that country as clay pans These depressions have a clay bottom and hold water for months after rain. Surface water it was impossible to find and we were night shooting at the wells. One evening the native came to me and pointing skywards said "Plenty bubba bimeby, plenty bubba." Looking at the bright starlit night I shook my head and said, "Not tonight, Billy." But the uncanny instinct of the native proved correct and morning found my tent, which was on a rise, completely surrounded by water. Walking over to the native's mia and finding it empty Ï started to hunt him up. I eventually found him on the bank of the river industriously making a framework of saplings and bark. Carrying this to a clay-pan he covered the framework with green boughs and made a leaf covered raft. On this raft he lashed two supple saplings to haul it by. Entering the claypan he splashed and threw stones as he moved forward until he had moved to one end that ended in a narrow lagoon where stood his raft. Beckoning me to take one end we dragged the raft of leaves forward. As we approached the blind end of the lagoon small ripples were to be seen. Realizing in a flash they must be fish I said "What fish Billy?" "Plenty, boss," he replied: And so it proved to be. When these fish were driven to the far end they doubled back, saw the raft, leaped to avoid it, and landed fair and squarely on the raft. We got upwards to forty fish, many of course escaping. On examination they were about four inches long and not unlike the canard lies of our northern rivers. I cooked some, but they were a mass of small bones. These fish, too, must have come down in the rain of the previous night for the claypans to my knowledge had been empty since the previous winter. On interrogating the native he simply pointed up and said, "Plenty bubba, plenty fish." Possibly the same solution governs both experiences. No doubt science can explain it all quite simply, but to me at the time it was all very strange. JUMBUCK, Gosnells. Source: Western Mail (Perth, Western Australia), Thursday 8 April 1937, Page 10 [Natives are always much better in tune with Reality, than any scientist. Natives observe and experience; scientist theorize behind a desk] Motorists' Queer Experience Frogs fell from the sky in a shower at Ewingdale, on the North coast of New South Wales, on Wednesday, Many motorists had hundreds plastered over their cars after the bombardment. The photograph shows one of dozens which were removed from a windscreen. The frogs were less than one inch in length, and were coloured black and cream. Source: Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), Sunday 9 April 1939, Page of 3
SHOWER OF FROGS Frogs fell from the sky in a shower at Ewingdale, on the North Coast of New South Wales last Wednesday, (as previously reported in these columns). Many motorists had hundreds plastered over their cars after the bombardment. The frogs were less than one inch in length, and were coloured black and cream. The ichyologist at the Queensland Museum (Mr. T. C. Marshall) said that while he had never heard of any actual cases of frogs falling in a storm, there had been several instances of fish being found after a storm in Queensland. One case was recorded ofwhiting falling in rain at Roma, over 300 miles from the coast. The flsh were caught up in eddies and whirlpools from shallow water, and Mr. Marshall said that it was possible that similar winds had caught up frogs from swamps. Such rapidly rising, circular winds had caught up on dry land many strange things which had later fallen during a storm many miles away.
SHOWER OF FROGS Mr. H. Stuart Dove writes: "A remarkable, occurrence is reported from Wiltshire (England), where thousands of tiny frogs are said to have descended during a heavy shower. Mr. Ettles, attendant at a bathing-pool, was giving lessons in swimming, when the rain began. On looking up, he saw great numbers of small frogs dropping from the sky. They landed on the grass behind the bathing-stages, and, calling his wife, they both started sweeping them into an adjoining field, but on coming back, they found hundreds more in the swimming bath; these were settled by an extra dose of chloride in the water. Great numbers fell into the river, and a party was seen floating downstream while resting on an old motor-tyre. "Many zoologists explain this sudden appearance of baby-frogs after rain by saying that they had been sheltering from the sun under grass-tufts and small plants, until the grateful moisture brought them into the open, but in the above case Mr. Ettles said that he saw them actually descending from above, and a meteorologist gave the following explanation: 'The little frogs had been sucked-up from ponds by a whirlwind -a miniature edition of an American tornado- and may be carried for miles on the prevailing wind before dropping to earth. In rare cases, even fish have been sucked-up from shallow lakes and deposited at a considerable distance away. In the United States, where they do everything on a bigger scale than in England, a full-grown hen was picked up by one of these whirlwinds and dropped 30 miles away." Source: Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania), Tuesday 1 August 1939, Page 9 [the meteorologist-expert does not seem to know that a whirlwind is quite different from a tornado and does not suck anything upwards. Also any wind cannot transport frogs over a distance of 30 miles, let along one mile.]
SMALL FROGS FROM THE SKY During a storm that passed over Harwood Island last week people on parts of the island were surprised to see small brown frogs falling with the rain, and quite a number were seen on the ground after the rain had ceased. Recently, in a Sydney suburb. when heavy rain fell, millions of these small frogs were found. Source: Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW, Australia), Monday 25 January 1943, Page 2
FROGS FROM THE SKY That frogs could be "rained" from the heavens is not considered unlikely by a Nedlands correspondent who writes as follows: "Regarding 'OB's' query in the answers section of your last issue about a shower of frogs in Perth in 1912, I am able to state at first-hand that I saw the frogs, but did not witness the method of their arrival. They littered Hay-street for some distance between Outram and Colin streets so that one could not avoid them. Many were no larger than a three pence and many had been trodden underfoot. That they had come per the air route in a whirlwind is perfectly feasible." Source: Sunday Times (Perth, Western Australia), Sunday 24 September 1944, Page 5
FROGS FROM THE SKY That frogs could be "rained" from the heavens is not considered unlikely by a Nedlands correspondent who writes as follows: "Regarding 'OB's' query in the answers section of your last issue about a shower of frogs in Perth in 1912, I am able to state at first-hand that I saw the frogs, but did not witness the method of their arrival. They littered Hay-street for some distance between Outram and Colin streets so that one could not avoid them. Many were no larger than a three pence and many had been trodden underfoot. That they had come per the air route in a whirlwind is perfectly feasible." Source: Sunday Times (Perth, Western Australia), Sunday 24 September 1944, Page 5
FROGS AND RAIN Sir, In the "Herald" of December 3 it is stated, "Experts on reptiles discount reports of frogs falling from the sky." They also pointed out "that frogs would die in dry conditions." Nearly 50 years ago, I was prospecting in the desert country of Western Australia in the East Murchison district. The average annual rainfall at that time was about three inches, but I was informed that every seven years it really rained. In 1899 or 1900 the big rains came, and thousands of frogs, no larger than a thumbnail, came with it. Small as they were, the din they created was terrific, and greatly resembled that made by a mob of sheep. The surface on which the frogs came was a thin layer of sand and stones on top of a conglomerate "cement," and afforded no refuge for frogs either before or after the deluge, and, indeed, was usually scorched with the continual heat. This district is about 700 miles from Perth, and has no surface water of any sort whatever. It was necessary to dig to 168 feet in depth before any underground water was available. F. W. ISON. Abbotsfoid Point. - Sir, With regard to the article and photograph of the frogs in your paper, seeing is believing. Many years ago I saw frogs and fish come down in a thunderstorm at a place called Roses' Run, al Lower Hawkesbury, near Wiseman's Ferry. At first we thought the frogs and fish hail -they came down in a sheet of water. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW, Australia), Saturday 6 December 1947, Page 2
Frogs Fell In Rain, Youth Says A shower of rain at Newtown last night brought frogs out in hundreds along the road. Some residents claimed the frogs came down with the rain. Scientists are not yet convinced. Leslie Dawson, 15, of King Street, Newtown, said: "I saw frogs hitting the ground in front of me when I was riding a bicycle at die corner of Yelverton and King Streets about half-past nine. "I had two mates with me. At first we thought it was hail, but then we saw the frogs jumping on the road. "We got off our bicycles and ran after the big ones. "There were hundreds of small ones and a few larger ones. "Most were green, but there were a few brown ones among them. Many of them were squashed by cars. "As the cars went by we could see the frogs leaping in all directions. "I ran to the gutter and scooped up a dozen or so small frogs, and a couple of larger ones. "My father wouldn't believe me when I told hinm but I showed them to him to convince him. "The smaller frogs got away while I was putting them into a jar. I've still got two of the bigger ones left." Leslie dived across the room to catch the frogs for the photographer. After searching under chairs he found both of them, and said, "There you are, I told you so." Source: The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW, Australia), Wednesday 3 December 1947, Page 3
On September 7, 1953, a downpour of frogs and toads “of all descriptions” began falling from the sky over Leicester, Massachusetts. The streets seemed to be alive with them and children gathered them into buckets using their hands, making a game of the astounding event. [original account not found]
Οn the 17th of June, 1963, in Porto Lago of Coomotini (Thrace, north Greece), several drivers reported that during a very heavy rain, around midnight, they saw little living frogs coming down with the rain. (Source: Apogevmatini, 19 June 1979). (from Vembos website) Οn the 29th of June, 1979, nearly 16 years after the June, 1963 fall in Comotini, another fall of frogs took place in the same area. Ιn the Aegira area, near Comotini, thousands of them fell simultaneously with the rain. The frog fall was so heavy that the cars moving on the road connecting Aegira and Comotini had to stop for a while because the road was completely covered with frogs. (Source: Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia, 1 July 1979) (from Vembos website)
The citizens of Naphlion, a city in southern Greece, were surprised one morning in May, 1981, when they awoke to find small green frogs falling from the sky. Weighing just a few ounces each, the frogs landed in trees and plopped into the streets. The species of frog was native to North Africa! [original account not found]
In 1995, reports Fortean Times Online, Nellie Straw of Sheffield, England, was driving through Scotland on holiday with her family when they encountered a severe storm. Along with the heavy rain, however, hundreds of frogs suddenly pelted her car. [original account not found]
June 7, 2005 at 11:35am: Frogs fall from the sky in rural Serbia Belgrade. Thousands of tiny frogs rained on a town in north-western Serbia, the Belgrade daily Blic reported on Tuesday. Strong winds brought storm clouds over Odzaci, 120km north-west of Belgrade, on Sunday afternoon, but instead of rain, tiny amphibians fell from above, witnesses said. "I saw countless frogs fall from the sky," said Odzaci resident Aleksandar Ciric. The frogs, different from those usually seen in the area, survived the fall and hopped around in search of water. (from Mail and Guardian) Tadpoles in Japan I have mentioned that some rain or falls happened in the same area more than once. In my opinion, this is a question of habit on part of the aliens. They like to go back where they drop their 'left-overs' before. In 2009, someone repeatedly visited Japan to drop the excess of tadpoles, and fish. The following was compiled by the owner of pinktentacle.com. All credits go to this person. Very interesting compilation! UPDATE: Tadpole rain in Japan:19 Jun 2009
Over the past few weeks, people in Japan have been witnessing tadpoles, fish and frogs fall from the sky. Ever since the strange phenomenon was first observed in Ishikawa prefecture on June 4, reports of animal rain have been pouring in from prefectures across the country. So far, nobody has come up with a plausible explanation for the animal rain. Although some people believe the tadpole showers may be the result of weather disturbances such as waterspouts, no meteorological agencies have observed strong wind or unstable weather conditions in any of the areas where the rain has occurred. Others believe birds may be spitting up large quantities of tadpoles, although many ornithologists dispute this claim. Still others have suggested it may be the work of human pranksters, or even extraterrestrials. Here is a brief timeline of the occurrences reported so far. This page will be updated as new reports emerge. * * * * * June 4, Ishikawa prefecture -- At 4:30 PM in the town of Nanao, witnesses discovered approximately 100 dead tadpoles in a 300 square meter area in and around the parking lot outside the Nakajima Civic Center. Witnesses described hearing a strange sound outside before finding the tadpoles.
June 6, Ishikawa prefecture -- At 7:00 AM in the town of Hakusan, a 75-year-old resident found a handful of tadpole carcasses on the hood of her car. More were found scattered in nearby yards and parking lots. June 9, Ishikawa prefecture -- In the town of Nakanoto, a number of small fish were found scattered over a residential area. About 10 fish recovered from roadsides and the tops of cars appeared to be Crucian carp measuring 3 to 5 centimeters long.
June 13, Iwate prefecture -- At about 6:00 PM in the town of Shiwa, a 67-year-old farmer was tending her field when she heard what sounded like hailstones hitting the ground around her. She found 15 tadpole carcasses. The local meteorological agency reported the weather was calm at the time, and a local ornithologist said he found it improbable that birds dropped them. June 15, Nagano prefecture -- In the morning, about 40 tadpole carcasses were found on the premises of an elementary school in the town of Suzaka. June 15, Hiroshima prefecture -- At 8:30 AM in the town of Miyoshi, a 60-year-old resident found the carcasses of 13 tadpoles and one frog scattered in the yard and on the roof of her home. (See photo above.) June 15, Miyagi prefecture -- At about 5:00 PM in the town of Taiwa, a 74-year-old resident heard what sounded like rain outside her home. She stepped outside to find about 50 tadpoles scattered in the yard and on the roof. The tadpoles were wet, but none of them were alive. According to the woman, the sky was clear and there was no wind. She saw no birds in the sky.
June 16, Aichi prefecture -- At around 8:00 AM, a 45-year-old company employee was driving through the town of Chiryu on his way to work, when he heard the sound of something pelting the roof of his car. When he arrived at work, he found 25 tadpole carcasses, each about 5 centimeters long, splattered on the top and sides of his vehicle.
Some of the tadpoles were bloody and looked as if they had fallen from a great height. According to the man, there were no tall buildings nearby and the sky was clear. "At first I though birds had crapped on my car," he said. "I was surprised to find tadpoles." June 16, Saitama prefecture -- At 1:00 PM in the town of Kuki, a 77-year-old man reportedly found over 20 carcasses of tadpoles and small fish in his yard. The man lives about 1 kilometer away from a patch of woods where crows roost. He believes the birds dropped the tadpoles and fish in his yard.
June 16, Miyagi prefecture -- At around 4:00 PM in the town of Osaki, a 54-year-old resident reportedly found about 20 carcasses of tadpoles and small fish in her yard. June 17, Iwate prefecture -- At 5:00 AM, while walking to his rice field, a 66-year-old farmer in the town of Yahaba heard what sounded like large raindrops hitting the ground around him. He found about 30 tadpole carcasses, each about 3 to 4 centimeters long, on the road. Most of them appeared crushed, as if they had fallen a great distance. He spotted a crow flying in the sky above, but he doubts the bird dropped the tadpoles. He said there was no wind at the time. (See photo above.) June 17, Fukui prefecture -- A 67-year-old resident of the town of Sabae found about 40 tadpole carcasses outside her home in the morning. The tadpoles, which measured about 3 to 4 centimeters long, were moist. Some of them were crushed and bleeding. The weather had been fine, and the woman reportedly heard nothing strange the night before.
June 17, Toyama prefecture -- At 8:40 AM in the town of Asahi, a 59-year-old company worker found about 30 tadpoles scattered on the road in front of his home. The tadpoles measured about 3 centimeters long and had begun to develop legs. The weather was calm and partly cloudy, making it unlikely they were swept up in a gust of wind. A local biologist says that the tadpoles may have died from dehydration after venturing out from a nearby rice field. The man believes they may have been dropped by crows.
June 17, Akita prefecture -- At 10:30 AM in the town of Ugo, a 37-year-old candy shop manager found about 70 tadpole carcasses in yards and on the streets near her store. Most of the tadpoles, which measured about 2 to 3 centimeters long, appeared crushed. The shop is located in a residential area near rice fields and a river. She blames birds.
June 17, Kagoshima prefecture -- While taking an evening walk, a 58-year-old company employee in the town of Isa came across about 20 tadpole carcasses in the street. According to the man, there were rice paddies nearby, but the road was dry. * * * * * June 17, Niigata prefecture -- In the city of Niigata, a 14-year-old student returning home from school in the evening found 25 dead tadpoles on a residential street, not far from an irrigation channel and rice fields. The carcasses, which were dry and flat, measured 2 to 5 centimeters long.
June 18, Tottori prefecture -- Early in the morning in the town of Yonago, a 48-year-old resident found 30 tadpole carcasses scattered atop a section of a 5-meter-wide seaside retaining wall. The tadpoles, some of which had begun to develop legs, measured 2 to 4 centimeters long. According to the local weather agency, the maximum wind speed at the time was 3 meters/sec (6.7 mph) and conditions were not favorable for the development of waterspouts. A local biologist claimed it was unlikely that a bird scattered that many tadpoles along the wall. June 18, Niigata prefecture -- At around 2:00 PM, a 63-year-old resident of the town of Nagaoka found about 50 carcasses of tadpoles, frogs, dragonfly nymphs and small fish in the street in front of his apartment building. The tadpoles were described as being in a half-dried state. One tadpole was also found on the roof of the apartment building, which is located in the center of town. * * * * * June 23, Fukushima prefecture -- At 10:30 AM on a clear, windless morning in the town of Aizu-Wakamatsu, two bicycle shop employees heard a loud thud outside their store. When they stepped out to investigate, they found a 35-centimeter-long catfish on the ground next to a parked minivan. The catfish appeared to have struck the vehicle, leaving a smear of mucus and mud on its left-hand side. The witnesses, whose shop is located nowhere near a catfish-populated river, do not believe it is the work of a human prankster. They suspect a bird may have dropped the catfish. * * * * * June 24, Yamaguchi prefecture -- At 6:00 AM, a 68-year-old resident of the town of Shunan heard the sound of something striking the roof of her home. When she stepped outside to investigate, she found about 20 wet tadpole carcasses on the ground and on the roof. The tadpoles each measured 3 to 4 centimeters long and were beginning to develop legs. June 24, Yamagata prefecture -- At 4:30 PM, a 34-year-old piano instructor in the town of Shinjo discovered about 40 wet tadpole carcasses in her yard, just as she was leaving to walk her dog. The woman noticed the tadpoles after the dog started sniffing excitedly at the ground outside. She found a wet tadpole stuck to the dog's nose. The tadpoles, many of which appeared crushed, had not been in her yard two hours earlier.
July 1, Aomori prefecture -- A 29-year-old resident of the town of Rokunohe found about 40 tadpole carcasses scattered in the parking lot next to her apartment building. The tadpoles measured 2 to 5 centimeters long, and many of them appeared squashed. Several more were later found on the roof of the building. * * * * *
July 7, Oita prefecture -- The bodies of more than 600 tadpoles and froglets were found scattered along a 100-meter stretch of rural road near the town of Kusu. A 69-year-old farmer discovered the carcasses while on the way to check his rice fields in the morning. According to the farmer, who noticed nothing unusual on the road the night before, the irrigation channels and rice paddies near the road contain no water, implying that the froglets may have come from elsewhere.
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