Beth Carmichael, age 13, of Tobaccoville, No. Carolina, for her question:

Does lightning ever strike twice in the same place?

Goodness knows who first uttered the statement that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Certainly it is not true and, sad to say, people who believe it may expose themselves to serious danger. There may, however, be a reason to explain this false idea. Lightning strikes, though outrageously dramatic, are not frequent. And rare events tend to be widely spaced. Outdoors in wide, unpopulated areas, the chances that lightning will strike the same exact spot again next week or next year are not very likely. Even here, though, a tall, isolated tree may attract more than one strike during its lifetime.

Cities and industrial areas with tall buildings provide open invitations to lightning. Some get struck many times during every thunderstorm. Of course their lightning rods conduct the fierce electrical charges safely down into the ground. Perhaps the old falsehood grew up before the age of such tall buildings. In any case, beware and do not trust it.