The Bermuda Triangle: 10 Facts That Make the Mystery Even Greater

The Bermuda Triangle is a roughly 1 million km² triangular region in the western part of the North Atlantic, bounded by Miami to the west, Bermuda to the north, and Puerto Rico to the southeast. It is an area where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Various theories have linked these incidents to paranormal or extraterrestrial activity. Whatever the truth may be, here are ten facts about the legendary area that you should know.

1 Six aircraft vanished without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle…

Countless myths surround mysterious disappearances, but the legend of the Bermuda Triangle truly took shape on December 5, 1945, when five TBF Avenger military aircraft—known as Flight 19—and a rescue plane (a Martin Mariner) disappeared under highly mysterious circumstances in the area.
The five aircraft vanished during what was supposed to be a routine training mission. Even more unsettling, the rescue plane sent to search for them also disappeared without a trace—and none of the aircraft were ever found.

To this day, the exact cause remains unknown, although there are numerous credible—and controversial—theories. The incident has since become known as “The Mystery of Flight 19“. [source]

2 The Bermuda Triangle only became widely known in 1964…

Rumors surrounding the Bermuda Triangle didn’t gain widespread attention until 1964, when journalist Vincent H. Gaddis wrote about mysterious disappearances in the magazine Argosy. A decade later, in 1974, the mystery reached a much larger audience with the publication of the book The Bermuda Triangle by Charles Berlitz and J.M. Valentine.

The book claimed that an unusually high number of ships, boats, and aircraft had vanished or crashed under unexplained circumstances in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. [source]

3 There are countless theories about the Bermuda Triangle…

Scientists have long attempted to find logical explanations for the phenomenon, but opinions remain deeply divided. Some claim the area contains antimatter, causing anything that enters the area to disintegrate and vanish. Others speculate that the region could be a gateway to another world.

One of the more controversial theories came from Charles Berlitz, co-author of The Bermuda Triangle, who suggested that a pyramid on the ocean floor might be responsible for the disappearance of ships and aircraft. [source]

4 Disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle may be caused by clouds…

According to a relatively recent theory, hexagonal-shaped clouds are believed to be responsible for shipwrecks and plane crashes in the area. The theory suggests that these clouds create so-called “air bombs“—powerful downward bursts of air that slam into the ocean at extreme speeds, potentially destroying anything in their path.

However, there is no scientific evidence supporting this theory, and according to NASA, this type of cloud formation occurs in several places around the world, not just in the Bermuda Triangle. [source]

5 There are also theories involving aliens…

One of the most widely discussed theories surrounding the area involves aliens. Over the years, many people have claimed to see extraterrestrials and unidentified objects above the area, suggesting that ships and aircraft are abducted by aliens.

However, the idea that everyone passing through the Bermuda Triangle becomes a victim of alien abduction is clearly untrue, as the region is heavily trafficked by both ships and aircraft today. [source]

6 Perhaps the most logical theory about the Bermuda Triangle…

Scientists have proposed many natural explanations for the disappearances of ships and aircraft over the years. The most widely discussed theory involves the Gulf Stream, which acts like a river within the ocean. The current is extremely strong and could easily carry away small planes or boats, especially if they experience engine trouble.

Another theory, supported by scientist John Hutchison, suggests the presence of an “electronic fog” capable of disabling navigation and onboard electronics. Several experiments have claimed to show that this so-called fog does exist in the region. [source]

7 Or could Atlantis be haunting the ocean floor…?

But the theories don’t end there. As recently as 2005, researcher Scott Stones claimed that the lost island of Atlantis lies on the ocean floor and is responsible for the disasters and disappearances associated with the Bermuda Triangle. However, Stones was not the first to put forward this theory. [source]

8 Unexplained events in the Bermuda Triangle occurred as recently as 2015…

As late as 2015, the cargo ship SS El Faro departed from Florida on its way to Puerto Rico. The vessel vanished without a trace during the journey but was found weeks later on the ocean floor within the area.

What was never recovered, however, were the crew members on board. The only logical explanation put forward is that the crew perished in a powerful storm, which is believed to have caused the ship to sink. [source]

9 The events in the Bermuda Triangle may be completely ordinary…

Larry Kusche, author of the book The Bermuda Triangle Mystery – Solved, argues that all the theories are nonsense. According to Kusche, the reported disasters were entirely normal incidents that occurred under harsh weather conditions.

The region is traveled daily by countless ships and aircraft without incident, and Kusche maintains that the Bermuda Triangle is nothing more than a large-scale myth. [source]

10 The Bermuda Triangle is not overrepresented in accidents…

Collected data suggests that many reported incidents were either misreported or heavily exaggerated by various authors over the years. Multiple official authorities state that both the number of incidents and the surrounding circumstances are comparable to those found in any other part of the ocean.
Statistics further show that the world’s most dangerous maritime areas do not include the Bermuda Triangle. [source]