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The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies about this Mysterious Region

© Brenda Gambrell

The Bermuda Triangle or "devil's triangle" is an imaginary triangle stretching from Norfolk to the island of Bermuda and back to Puerto Rico. The term "Bermuda Triangle" was first used in an article written for Argosy magazine in 1964. The author claimed that in this strange expanse of sea a number of planes and ships had disappeared without explanation.

Historical Mysteries in the Bermuda Triangle

As early as 1492, Christopher Columbus reported that while he sailed through the area, his compass went haywire and he spotted a ball of fire in the sky. (This could be explained away as a meteor and the trouble with his compass as a discrepancy between true north and magnetic north that exists in the triangle.)

Another famous encounter is the discovery of the abandoned ship Mary Celeste in 1892. There was no sign of the captain, his family, and the eight crew members or what happened to them. Save for one lifeboat, all the supplies had been left on the ship.

The most famous of all strange occurrences in the triangle is the disappearance of the five navy avenger bombers of Flight 19. The crewmen were inexperienced trainees except for the patrol leader Lt. Charles Taylor, whose compass malfunctioned during the flight. He tried to navigate using landmarks below, but a brewing storm caused poor visibility, and he unknowingly led them farther into sea. Apparently, the five planes ran out of gas and plunged into the sea, but to this day, the wreckage has never been found.

In 1975, Larry Kusche published a book entitled The Bermuda Triangle Mystery-Solved. In the book Kusche revealed that many of the strange accidents and disappearances reported in the Bermuda Triangle were not so "paranormal" after all. In many accounts, he discovered factual discrepancies - a ship said to have gone down in calm waters really sank in a raging storm; the remains of other ships reported to have mysteriously vanished had actually been found.

Theories about the Bermuda Triangle’s Mysterious Power

Bermuda Triangle mysteries have been blamed on everything from sea monsters to UFOs. Here are some of the more credible explanations:

• The Bermuda Triangle is one of two places on earth that a magnetic compass points towards true north. Normally it points toward magnetic north. This compass variation between the two changes by as much as 20 degrees and if it is not compensated for, a navigator could find himself lost and in deep trouble.

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