One memorable day July 21,1983, the handful of scientists who stayed for the Antarctic winter at the Vostok Station woke to a brisk temperature of -126.6 F.
Vostok Station, located 800 miles east of the South Pole at an altitude of 11,444 feet, normally endures a lovely -88 F temperature in July.
This cold record is the only reliable low-temperature measurement ever taken and it was presumably taken digitally since Mercury freezes at -40 F.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
