A Penny Dropped From The Empire State Building Can Kill A Person On The Sidewalk:
This myth says that if you were to drop a penny from the top of the empire state building, it would accelerate to the point that it could kill a person on the sidewalk below. This is just bad physics. In reality, the penny can reach terminal velocity of about 30-100 miles per hour depending on the wind. It's still a jerk move to drop a penny from up there. It might hurt, but it would not kill anyone. Either way, you would fare better to just keep the change.
There Are Only Three States Of Matter: Solid, Liquid And Gas:
Don't forget plasma. That makes four states. Plasma is not some gel or goo, it's more like superheated ions and electrons. It's sometimes called “ionized gas.” When cooled, it becomes gas, but then it takes on different properties, too. So, it is not quite right to think of it as a kind of “gas.” Plasma is more like a flame. Lightning, fire, the sun, and the tail of comets are all plasmas. Most any element or chemical compound can become plasma if heated high enough, but since plasma is just ions and electrons, the molecules have broken down. Water, for instance, can be reduced to plasma, but it's no longer H2O; it is not even hydrogen or oxygen. And you definitely would not want to drink it.
Toilet Flushes Spin A Different Direction In The Southern Hemisphere:
Both directions can be found in both hemispheres. There is some science behind this myth, but it does not really apply to bathroom flushes. Typically, this myth calls upon the coriolis effect, where flow patterns are affected by the earth's rotation. That helps explains things like the gulf stream or hurricanes, but toilet flushes and even tornados are too small to be influenced directly by the coriolis effect. Instead, the direction of spiral is a product of other features such as the design of the toilet, the plumbing, and water pressure.
Glass Is A High Viscosity Liquid:
Obviously, glass isn't like water or even like molasses, but could it be characterized as having super high viscosity such that it's an ultra-slow flowing liquid? Well, no. This myth arises from the fact that window glass in older buildings is typically thicker at the base. Supposedly, the glass was evenly thick but gradually “sagged” over time, thickening the base. In reality, glass is categorized as a solid, but in "olden days" it was difficult to get a perfectly even pane of glass using old fashioned methods. When a craftsman made a reasonably flat piece of glass, he would then cut the glass to size, and if one side was thicker than the other, he'd put that side at the bottom for stability. Not everything sags with age.
Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice:
This myth isn't only wrong, it's dangerously wrong. Lightning often strikes the same place twice, at least within a close vicinity. If you find yourself standing around outdoors during a lightning storm, there is no outdoorsman or forecaster who'd recommend you go stand where lightning has already struck as if you are somehow protected at that spot. Instead, you need to find shelter, stay away from windows and avoid touching anything metal or electrical. And it's always a good plan to suspend your golf game or kite-flying till the storm passes.
Astrology:
According to 60s soul-pop group the 5th dimension, "this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius," or at least it was back in 1969. Apparently, the current pattern and position of stars many light years away from here is supposed to inform us about the geopolitical outlook of human civilization. Astrology is also supposed to tell us things regarding our birthdays. Each of us was born in certain months corresponding to our own zodiac sign: Aquarius, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Pisces. (The Chinese zodiac offers 12 different avatars). And somehow each of these signs, describing a pattern of stars in the sky currently or at the time of our birth, is also supposed to tell us about ourselves, our fortune, and our fate.