Claim Verification: "Lightning never strikes the same place twice." — Disproved

Automated fact-verification of the claim: "Lightning never strikes the same place twice." Verdict: DISPROVED Key Findings The claim is a well-known myth explicitly debunked by every major meteorological authority. The Empire State Building alone is struck by lightning an average of 23 times per year (B1). Four independent authoritative sources — the National Weather Service, NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory, NASA, and Encyclopaedia Britannica — all confirm that lightning regularly strikes the same place multiple times (B1, B2, B3, B4). No scientific source was found that supports the literal claim; it exists only as a metaphorical idiom. Files proof.py — Re-runnable Python verification script proof.md — Structured proof report proof_audit.md — Full verification audit trail proof_narrative.md — Plain-language summary proof.json — Machine-readable structured data Generated by Proof Engine v0.10.0.