The storm that stars in the book and movie "The Perfect Storm" actually did happen, though the screen version didn't exactly stick to reality. The real "Perfect Storm" was spinning just off the East Coast on this Halloween Eve back in 1991.

This storm was a nor'easter, with a few twists. First, it tapped some moisture from a dying hurricane. Then the storm moved backwards, toward the coast. The center got to within 150 miles of the Delmarva peninsula, then headed out to sea. Severe tidal flooding occurred up and down the coast - at Atlantic City, tides were comparable to those produced by Hurricane Gloria in 1985. But the storm didn't bring us any rain, and in fact, the weather in Wilmington and Philadelphia during the storm was rather pleasant, with highs in the 60s, and only a gusty north wind.

At that time, meteorologists nicknamed it the "Halloween Storm." It wasn't until two years later that the term "Perfect Storm" was coined by a meteorologist named Bob Case, who had actually forecasted the storm while working for the National Weather Service in Boston.