These two events were so significant that they were recorded by several colonial and scientific observers of the time, including those associated with the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the same group Edward Blyth belonged to that documented the meteor and mass whale stranding below.
1850, February 11. India, West Bengal. A "Great Daylight Bolide." Time of Day: Approximately noon to 1:00 PM. Sightings were recorded in and around Calcutta (Kolkata) and the surrounding districts. The Upper Provinces: Reports came from as far inland as Agra and Delhi. The Indian Ocean: Sailors on ships in the Bay of Bengal and the Northern Indian Ocean also documented the event. The object was noted to move from the SE toward the NW (or in some reports, nearly East to West) and moved inland. It appeared at a very high elevation, crossing the zenith for observers in the central parts of India. Many 19th-century researchers noted that 1850 seemed to be a year where Earth was passing through a particularly dense "stream" of debris. Witnesses described it as a "bluish-white" or "intensely brilliant" object that was visible even against the bright midday sun. One of the most unique features of this event was the persistent "serpentine" smoke trail. High-altitude winds caused the trail to twist, and it remained visible for 15 to 20 minutes after the fireball had vanished. In some locations, it was described as looking like a "winding river" in the sky. Residents across various districts in India reported hearing loud "thundering" sounds and "sharp cracks" several minutes after the visual sighting, indicating the bolide had penetrated deep into the atmosphere and likely fragmented. Linked Event: November 1850. Interestingly, a significant meteorite fall occurred in Shalka, West Bengal. The Shalka Meteorite: This was a rare Diogenite (a type of stony achondrite). While some records list the Shalka fall as occurring in November 1850, there has been historical debate about whether the February 11 bolide dropped fragments that were recovered later or if they were separate events within the same "debris-heavy" year.
1850, July 20. India, West Bengal, Hooghly River. A mass stranding of a large pod of "Black-fish" (pilot whales, now recognized as the Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephalus indicus). They ascended the river Hooghly and became stranded in the Salt Lakes (shallow, brackish marshes) east of Calcutta (Kolkata). Location: The "Salt Lakes" (now the Salt Lake/Bidhannagar area of Kolkata), which were then brackish tidal marshes connected to the Hooghly River. Number: A pod of dozens of whales ascended the river, with several becoming stranded in the shallow marshes as the tide receded. The "Salt Lakes" (now largely developed as Salt Lake City/Bidhannagar) were historically a complex system of shallow tidal wetlands. For deep-water pilot whales to end up that far inland (roughly 100+ km from the open sea) is extremely rare. The "First" Record: This is often cited by marine biologists as the earliest documented mass stranding of pilot whales in the northern Indian Ocean region. Note: The early 1850s was a period of increased observations of "Black-fish" (pilot whales) in the Northern Indian Ocean, often appearing in unusual locations like shallow tidal estuaries.
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