Chladni first recognized meteorites as extraterrestrial rather than volcanic

Evidence

Around 1787, Ernst Chladni brought acoustics to the forefront of science in Europe (figure 15.4). Chladni was born and lived much of his life in that small and most unusual German town of Wittenberg, home to Martin Luther and at least four eminent scientists: Chladni, and after him the three Weber brothers, Ernst, Wilhelm, and Edward. Among other things, Chladni was the first scientist to realize that meteorites were extraterrestrial; before that, the popular theory was that they were of volcanic origin. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1376

Categorization

• CANDY: The polymath irony — the acoustics pioneer also solved the meteorite mystery — is a fun cocktail-party fact.