Sure, I've seen enough motherboards with fried USB controllers caused by an ESD while plugging in USB memory sticks. This is in a climate with fairly cold wint

Sure, I've seen enough motherboards with fried USB controllers caused by an ESD while plugging in USB memory sticks. This is in a climate with fairly cold winters (-40°C and below isn't unheard of), so layers of wool clothing and very low humidity. It's been less of a problem recently because modern motherboards come with ESD protection, but 10-15 years ago shared computers with most USB ports no longer working were the norm. I always touch ground before working on electronics, and often get zapped. It's a fairly common practice here AFAIK.