November's Leonid meteor shower provides a spectacular show every 33 years, and the last Leonid burst happened in 1966. Check this space in November for more details. In the meantime, the Perseids will provide a nice tuneup for the Leonids, and it's a bit warmer in August than November, by cracky. Earth will pass through the thickest part of the debris cloud at 7 P.M. on Thursday, August 12, which is, depressingly, daytime in Central Ohio. However, the best bet is the night of August 12 carrying over into the early morning hours of Friday, August 13.
Earth orbits the sun, of course.
Before local midnight, our spot on the planet is pointed away from the direction of Earth's orbit. This situation is much like being a passenger facing toward the rear windshield of a car. A few bugs might hit the rear windshield, but they'll have to be flying really, really fast. After midnight, you are facing forward into the direction of Earth's orbit. The bugs don't have to play carch-up with Earth's velocity, and you'll see a lot more of them splattering against Earth's front windshield.