The Bermuda Triangle is situated to the northwest of the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the place where disappearances of several vessels and aircrafts have been reported. Most of the disappearances cannot be explained rationally; common factors such as equipment failure, human error, natural disasters, and piracy do not provide an accurate explanation. Certain people have even attributed these mysterious disappearances to the presence of paranormal forces. This is why the Bermuda Triangle is also referred to as the Devil’s Triangle.

The three points of the Bermuda Triangle are the Atlantic coast of Florida, the Bahamas, and an area in the Caribbean Islands. Most of the reported disappearances took place around the Florida Straits and the southern part of the Bahamas. Interestingly enough, these areas are busy shipping lanes that are used by many ships that are traveling to numerous ports in Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Even the routes of some commercial and private aircrafts cross the Bermuda Triangle.

The first story about the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle was told in an article that was published in the newspaper of EVW Jones in September, 1950. Subsequently, Fate magazine published an article called “Sea Mystery at Our Back Door", which mentioned the strange disappearances of airplanes and ships in that area. In 1962, an incident that involved the disappearance of five Avenger bombers of the US Navy received a lot of media attention. It was called the Flight 19 incident, and it was covered by the American Legion Magazine as well as the Argosy Magazine. In the following years, many other stories about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle were published. Some of the major works which popularized the Bermuda Triangle included Invisible Horizons by Vincent Gaddis, Limbo of the Lost by John Wallace Spencer, and The Devil's Triangle by Richard Winer.

Besides the Flight 19 tragedy, numerous other disappearances of vessels and aircrafts occurred at the Bermuda Triangle. Some of these included the strange abandonment of the 280-ton ship Mary Celeste in 1892, the loss of 309 crew members in the disappearance of the US Navy vessel USS Cyclops in 1918, the disappearance of the boat named S.V. Spray that was used by cruiser Joshua Slocum to circumnavigate the world in 1919, the sinking of a Japanese vessel named Raifuku Maru in 1921, the vanishing of a Douglas DC-3 aircraft carrying 32 people in 1948, and the disappearance of the tanker SS Marine Sulphur which had 39 people on board in 1963.

There have been many attempts to explain these strange happenings in and around the Bermuda Triangle. Among the explanations that were given by rationalists are the formation of methane hydrates in the ocean which can engulf ships, the strong currents of the Gulf Stream, sea piracy, and variations in compass readings due to a local magnetic disturbance in the Bermuda Triangle area. On the other hand, some supernatural explanations have been put forward, too. Some people believe that the effects of a residual technology from the people of the mythical continent of Atlantis had caused aircrafts and sea vessels to sink to the bottom of the ocean, while others are of the opinion that UFOs and alien abductions are the reasons for the disappearances.

While it is true that a number of airplane disappearances at the Bermuda Triangle have been proven to be inaccurate, there are numerous other disappearances which have been verified to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle is certainly an area that is shrouded in mystery. If you are travelling to the area by air or sea, make sure that you get a good travel insurance plan before your trip. 

Resources about the Bermuda Triangle

• Bermuda Triangle Unit: A great educational unit on the Bermuda Triangle
  
• Bermuda Triangle: A website that is dedicated to the Bermuda Triangle
• Think Quest: Map of the Bermuda Triangle
• Bermuda Tri-Angle: An account of the history of the mysterious incidents that occurred at the Bermuda Triangle
• Unnatural Museum: The sceptical perspective of the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle
• Byerly: A complete list of disappearances that took place at the Bermuda Triangle
• Paranormal and Ghost Society: Discussions on the different theories surrounding the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle
• DOD: US Navy fact sheet about the disappearances at the Bermuda Triangle
• Kilroy Washere: Comprehensive information about Flight 19
• Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: Information about the Bermuda Triangle and the “Hutchinson Effect”
• Edgar Cayce: Connection between the Bermuda Triangle and Atlantis