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The enigma of the Bermuda Triangle has fascinated the collective imagination for more than ;a half-century. This geographical area of 500,000 km2, renowned for its mysterious disappearances of ships and aircraft, has given rise to many extravagant conjectures.
Nevertheless, beyond the sensationalist stories and paranormal ramblings, the reality turns out to be much more prosaic. Let us therefore try to discern what is legend and what is proven fact.
Mysterious disappearances
The myth of the Bermuda Triangle truly took off in 1945, with the disappearance into nature of the 19 squadron, made up of five American TBM Avenger torpedo planes on training mission.
This landmark episode has inflamed minds and spawned a plethora of crazy theories. In fact, after years of investigation and analysis, the most widely accepted conclusion among experts is that it is ‘a human error which led to total disorientation of the pilots.
However, it’was too late and the machine was launched! Writers such as Charles Berlitz greatly contributed to the rise of this modern legend. His 1974 bestseller, The Bermuda Trianglehas sold over 20 million copies. Berlitz offers explanations of the supernatural, attributing these disappearances to spatio-temporal anomalies, or even to the intervention of extraterrestrial entities.
In 1948 and 1949, two airliners vanished without leaving a trace in this enigmatic maritime zone. The Star Tiger and the DC-3, thus disappearing, contributed to the thickening of the mystery surrounding these waters.
A few years later, in 1955, an equally disconcerting incident occurred: the yacht Connemara IV was discovered drifting, its crew having mysteriously disappeared. This macabre discovery only fueled speculation about the unexplained phenomena plaguing the region.
Going back further in time, long before the term Bermuda Triangle became popular, the case of the Cyclops remains an enigma. This cargo ship, loaded with manganese, completely disappeared in this area in 1918. These disappearances, although mysterious at first glance, are not so much so if we adopt a more scientific stance.
Natural explanations often ignored
The Bermuda Triangle, a maritime and air crossroads of remarkable intensity, sees its share of incidents partially justified by this exceptional influx.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000More importantly, the region's meteorological vagaries, marked by the recurrence of powerful hurricanes and tropical storms, make navigation and overflight particularly perilous.
The Gulf Stream, this marine current of formidable power, combined with the presence of treacherous coral reefs and dizzying underwater canyons, contributes to shaping a highly unpredictable nautical environment.
To this must be added magnetic anomalies that sometimes disrupt the on-board instruments, adding an additional dimension to the risk incurred. Human error, whether caused by navigators or pilots, also plays a significant role in the occurrence of these accidents.
Australian researcher Karl Kruszelnicki also states that ” the number of ships and planes that disappear is the same as anywhere else in the world in terms of percentage ». Well, it's immediately less mysterious when science gets involved !
Non-existent scientific evidence
Despite decades of relentless investigation, no irrefutable scientific evidence has ever supported the existence of supernatural phenomena in the Triangle. The incidents listed all find their explanation in well-identified and studied natural causes.
The statistics brandished to fuel the mystery often prove to be biased, or even totally erroneous. In reality, this place is no more dangerous than other comparable ocean areas.
Kruszelnicki goes further, claiming that the claims surrounding the Bermuda Triangle are pure fabrications. He argues that the enigma of the Bermuda Triangle simply does not exist and even attributes to Charles Berlitz the paternity of the myth that surrounds this region.
If the Bermuda Triangle has aroused an unparalleled fascination, it is largely thanks to the appeal of mystery and the overflowing imagination of certain authors such as Charles Berlitz, Vincent Gaddis (who coined the term in 1964) or Ivan T. Sanderson. The reality is much less spectacular: it is simply a dangerous maritime area due to difficult natural conditionsand, in essence, a textbook case of modern disinformation.
- The Bermuda Triangle has become notorious for mysterious disappearances and sensationalist stories.
- Extreme weather conditions and human error account for most of the incidents.
- There is no evidence of paranormal activity, and the rate of disappearances is comparable to other maritime areas.
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