In "The Pickle" Critical Thinker: Could a Penny Dropped Off a Skyscraper Actually Kill You?

Could a Penny Dropped Off a Skyscraper Actually Kill You?

If a penny dropped from the top of a skyscraper were to hit you, it wouldn't really hurt.

City-slickers: Have you ever worried that, at any moment, you could be struck dead by a penny flung off the roof of a nearby skyscraper? You can rest easy — on that score, at least. In fact, it's extremely difficult to turn a penny into a lethal weapon, and hurling it over the barricades at the top of the Empire State Building won't get the job done. Even from that height, a penny is too small and flat, and cushioned by too much air, to become a missile.