Where the Sun Don't Shine Trivia Quiz

Answer: Iran

As strange as it might seem, in 1972, Iran was hit by a snowstorm that killed at least 4,000 people in and around the city of Ardakan. While news agencies were not able to provide the rest of the world with information about the disaster it is known that there were no survivors in the small towns of Kakkan or Kumare.

Some places received over 26 ft. (8m) of snow. Iran usually has a hot, dry climate that has long summers and short cool winters. Much of the residential architecture is designed to provide protection from the heat and most residences collapsed under the heavy snow suffocating those unfortunate enough to be inside.

Answer: World War II

"The Great March West" also known as "The March" occurred between January and April 1945 towards the end of World War II. Once the Soviet Army started to advance close to Germany, the Germans took 80,000 POWS and forced them to march across Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany. Mortality rates were very high, due to horrendous weather conditions, lack of warm clothing, and the poor physical condition of many of the soldiers.

The men were broken up into groups of 200 and so there were multiple marches going on at the same time.

As many as 8,000 men died on this march, although the exact count will never be known for sure.

Answer: The Armistice Day Blizzard

The high levels of snowfall were complicated by winds of 50-80 mph (80-130km/h) which caused 20 ft.(6m)snowdrifts. Temperature drops of over 50 degrees were recorded. This snowstorm shut down almost all types of communication and transportation. Many of those who died did so after being caught outside when the storm suddenly came in.

At least 5 ships sank in Lake Michigan, and two trains collided head-on in Minnesota. Millions of domesticated farm animals were also killed including over a million turkeys that were intended for Thanksgiving.

The storm was responsible for the deaths of at least 145 people.

Answer: True

Multiple blizzards hit New Zealand in 2011 closing roads, grounding airports, and causing large power outages. The cities of Wellington and Auckland experienced their first snowfall in decades. It was considered the worst winter snowstorm of the century for that country.

Answer: Cloud seeding

Cloud seeding is a controversial practice that involves dropping chemicals into the atmosphere in an attempt to cause surrounding water vapor to crystallize and fall to earth as rain. This time a cold front caused the water vapor to turn into snow. This storm shut down roads, business, and caused power outages.

The long term effect of cloud seeding is not known and may have caused snowstorms in other parts of the world.

Answer: Schoolhouse Blizzard

The Schoolhouse Blizzard arrived after a warm day that had followed a couple days of snowy weather. Temperatures had risen between 20 and 40 degrees making for a nice break after the regular winter snowfall. The blizzard arrived in the middle of the day while children were still in school. Temperatures suddenly dropped 50 degrees and high winds with over 6 inches (15cm) of snow fell quickly.

This deadly storm caused the deaths of over 235 people, in part because of the severity of the storm, the high winds, and the complete lack of visibility. Most of those who died were children caught in one-room school houses and those who had gone to town or were out in the field.

The alternate name for this storm is "The Children's Blizzard".

Answer: Canada and the U.S.

In 1998, five successive ice storms cut through the areas of Maine, New York, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. The quickness that these storms followed each other caused massive damage to the electrical infrastructure that provided power to these areas.

This storm dropped ice, snow, and rain for 6 days causing over seven billion dollars in damage and causing almost 60 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Millions of people were left without power and heating for periods ranging from days to weeks. This freezing disaster led to the largest deployment of the areas forest was immense with some areas losing over 80% of their trees. Millions of domesticated farm animals died when they froze or starved to death, or when the roofs of their barns and stables caved in.

Answer: Afghanistan

In 2008 a storm known as "The 2008 Afghanistan blizzard" caused the deaths of almost 1,000 people. Temperatures of -22F (-30C)were recorded as almost 6 ft. (180cm) of snow fell on a population that was unprepared for this type of weather. Huge numbers of livestock were also killed.

Many thousands of people lost their homes and frostbite was rampant. It was one of the worst snowstorms on record for the country.

Answer: False

This is totally false. Aiden Blizzard is a professional cricket player born June 27, 1984 in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.

Answer: The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes storm of 1913 was a blizzard that contained hurricane-force winds. It was given numerous nicknames including the "White Hurricane", "The Big Blow" and "Freshwater Fury". At least 19 ships were lost in the Great Lakes and another 19 were run aground.

This winter storm was responsible for at least 250 deaths and caused at least 100 million dollars in damage. The winds, which were as high as 90 mph. (145km/h) caused waves as high as 35 ft. (11m) high and caused a complete whiteout over a large area for days. Six ft. (2m) high snow drifts caused major transportation issue for weeks. Border cities in both Canada and the U.S. had 22 inch (56cm) of snow dropped on them. Large trees, roof tops, and wharfs were torn to pieces. For weeks bodies of sailors washed up on the lake shores for weeks.