Final answer:
The coldest temperature in the U.S. was -80°F at Prospect Creek Camp in Alaska. This contrasts with Earth's coldest surface temperature of 183 K at Vostok Station, Antarctica, and temperatures as low as 1.0 × 10-10 K created in laboratories.
Step-by-step explanation:
The coldest temperature recorded in the United States was -80 degrees Fahrenheit (-62 degrees Celsius), observed at Prospect Creek Camp in the Endicott Mountains of northern Alaska on January 23, 1971. This is considerably warmer than the coldest temperature recorded on Earth's surface, which is 183 K (-89°C) at Vostok Station in Antarctica. In the context of recorded temperatures, it's interesting to note that the coldest temperatures created in a laboratory setting go far beyond these natural records, reaching as low as 1.0 × 10-10 K at Helsinki University of Technology in Finland.