What velocity do meteorites hit the atmosphere? Does most of the accelerate occur as the earth gravity pulls the meteorite in?

The velocity ranges due to the size of the meteorite. Some travel at 500 km/h while there are some that have traveled up to 60000 km/h.

Meteorites typically hit the Earth's atmosphere at velocities ranging from 10 km/s up to 70 km/s. In more familar units, that's from 22,000 mph to 157,000 mph. Small meteorites are however slowed down to "almost nothing" by our atmosphere, and they end up hitting the ground with the same velocity as an object dropped from a plane say.(So called "terminal velocity", about 220 mph.) Large meteorites are not slowed nearly as much by the atmosphere, and can reach the ground with high velocity.

The one that caused the "Tunguska event" in Siberia in 1908 is thought to have been travelling at 20 km/s as it exploded in the air 8 km above ground level. That's about 45,000 mph. The energy of the blast was similar to a hydrogen bomb.

As for the contribution of the Earth's graviity to meteorite velocity, the maximum contribution from that is the same as the escape velocity from the surface of the Earth. That is 11.2 km/s or about 25,000 mph.So depending on the meteorite's speed on entry, we could say that Earth's gravity contributed anything from less than 15% up to nearly 100% to its velocity, csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/meteors... http://www.newgeology.us/presentation26.html http://www.bautforum.com/space-astronomy-questions-answers/85892-gravitys-contribution-meteorite-impact-speeds-earth-moon.html http://www38.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=escape+velocity.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.