My grandmother's grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, made a choice that would forever change our family's history. Daniel Moreau Barringer grew up in Philadelphia but as a young man seeking his fortune in the west. He made some money investing in a silver mine then turned his attention to a possible meteor crater in Northern Arizona. It was 1903 at this point and the scientific community had not discovered impact craters and were convinced that it was formed from volcanic activity. For perspective, the crater has about a 3-mile circumference and a 1-mile diameter. Daniel Moreau Barringer got extremely excited when he saw the crater and filed for a mining patent. Then, he got investors to invest in his mining company which failed after 28 unsuccessful drills over 25 years. During this time, he wrote and presented many scientific papers about his impact theory but he never received credit or recognition during his lifetime. As of right now, the meteor crater is a tourist site with about 300,000 visitors a year. The Barringer crater meteorite is considered the best-preserved impact site in the world. I know I will be part of the leadership of the company in the future.

– JB

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