Great Movie Disasters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Guerrero

D.O. Guerrero (played by Van Heflin) couldn't hold down a job because of his nasty temper. Out of options, he takes a bomb on board the plane with him, thinking his wife would be able to cash in on the flight insurance.

Answer: Lincoln International Airport

The fictional airport, somewhere in the Midwest, had to cope with a terrible snowstorm despite having outdated snow-removal equipment and short runways.

Answer: Houston

One of Irwin Allen's last films, "The Swarm" featured the requisite all-star cast, including Michael Caine and Katherine Ross. It was based on a 1974 novel by Arthur Herzog.

Answer: Kansas City

Kansas City's fate is sealed due to the fact that it is so close to a major missile base. The late Jason Robards, playing a doctor who also teaches at the University of Kansas, is on his way back to the city when the Russians attack.

Answer: Freedom and Independence

A crew of oil drillers, led by Bruce Willis, ride the two shuttles and attempt to save the world.

Answer: Eiffel Tower

Although "The Great Race" is not a disaster movie, all-star cast notwithstanding, the felling of the Eiffel Tower is a fitting end to a wacky race from New York to Paris.

Answer: Chicago

Though known as the first of several on-screen pairings between comedians Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, "Silver Streak" is even more famous for the spectacular train-station crash scene. Amtrak, fearful of adverse publicity from the climax, was so opposed to the idea that it wouldn't allow 20th Century Fox to use any of their equipment or film along their rights-of-way. Canadian Pacific Railway, however, didn't turn away from the challenge, granting the crew use of equipment and exterior shots along the rights-of-way.

Answer: Destroyed by terrorists

Religious fanatics infiltrate the ranks of the IMC, the International Machine Consortium, and explode a bomb on board the Cape Canaveral Machine during a test. Among the casualties is Dr. David Drumlin (played by Tom Skerritt).

Answer: Japan

Specifically, the second Machine was built on the island of Hokkaido, well away from prying eyes. That is the machine that Dr. Ellie Arroway (played by Jodie Foster) ulimately boarded for her adventure.

Answer: New York

Though not popularly thought of as a great earthquake risk, New York City is actually in an active seismic zone. Because of differences in building construction and soil, a quake that might cause minimal damage in Los Angeles could potentially destroy Manhattan.

Answer: Mediterranean Sea

The earthquake-induced wave struck the Poseidon nearly broadside just as the passengers were ringing in the new year.

Answer: Messiah

An elongated version of the space shuttle mated to a Russian nuclear propulsion system, Messiah and her crew were partially successful in their efforts to avert terrestrial disaster.

Answer: San Francisco

Based on the novels "The Glass Inferno" and "The Tower", "The Towering Inferno" was itself a joint effort between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. And it was masterminded by none other than Irwin Allen, who figured that one great movie would be better than two good movies competing against each other.

Answer: Dallas

Oddly enough, Michael Biehn, who played FEMA director Jack Wallach in "Asteroid", played a struggling college student/cowboy in NBC's other well-known cosmic disaster movie, 1978's "A Fire in the Sky".

Answer: Tampa

The heartbreaking real-life tragedy that inspired this movie occurred on January 13, 1982 during a snowstorm in Washington, DC. Only five people survived this disaster.