A journal entry by American astronomer Andrew Ellicott dated Nov. 12, 1799, provides the first known record of a meteor shower in North America. He spotted the Leonids meteor shower from the deck of a ship around the Florida Keys. (Jealous!) According to History.com, Ellicott wrote that the “whole heaven appeared as if illuminated with sky rockets, flying in an infinity of directions, and I was in constant expectation of some of them falling on the vessel. They continued until put out by the light of the sun after day break.”
NCPA
