The Bermuda Triangle is a mysterious place in the Atlantic Ocean that has boggled our minds for centuries. Christopher Columbus was the first to report erratic compass readings and a great flame of fire as he sailed through the region. Countless ships and aircraft have vanished while venturing inside it, and despite all that has been reported, there's still so much information many people aren't aware of.
Here are 10 bizarre facts about the Bermuda Triangle that might surprise you.
Despite the number of vessels and aircraft that have disappeared while traversing the area, there still hasn't been a formal study on the Bermuda Triangle. With thousands of people who've gone missing, you'd think the government would launch an investigation into what really goes on in one of the strangest regions of the ocean. But government officials and scientists don't think there's anything mysterious going on there at all. This is why most of the research done in the area has been completed by private investigators and private companies.
Pilot Bruce Gernon had flown his airplane through the triangle about a dozen times since 1967. But in December 1970, he had one flight he would never forget. He was traveling with a business associate and took off from Andros, Bahamas. Once they flew closer to the triangle, they noticed a cloud hanging low over the ocean. As they got closer to the cloud, it grew bigger. They ascended further into the air and increased their altitude, and the cloud began to engulf them. Inside, they described the cloud as dark with bright flashes of light. They radioed into the air traffic controllers, but they couldn't spot Gernon's aircraft. However, they did locate a plane in Palm Beach, Florida that matched his aircraft's description.
It was later reported that Gernon and his associate somehow managed to complete their 75-minute flight in just 47-minutes. To this day, he still can't explain what happened when on that day.
The Bermuda Triangle may be unique, but rumor has it, the region has a sister that's located in the Pacific Ocean. It can be found 62-miles off the coast of Tokyo, and it has been referred to as a site of inexplicable paranormal activities. In the 1950s, a vessel with more than 700 sailors disappeared, and various ships and planes have also vanished in the area.
There may not be any formal research going on in the triangle, but that doesn't mean it's completely uninhabited. The U.S. government set up a facility in the Bahamas that faces a deep, oceanic trench. The facility is called The Atlantic Undersea Test & Evaluation Center - or AUTEC for short. The U.S. Navy uses this area of the ocean to test submarines and various weapons.
The lost city of Atlantis is just as intriguing as the Bermuda Triangle. And believe it or not, these two might have more in common than we initially thought. No one's quite sure whether Atlantis was an actual city or if it's just a mythical island. Those who do believe in its legend think the city was swallowed up by the Bermuda Triangle after the last Ice Age.
Even though it's commonly referred to as a triangle because of its points between Bermuda; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Miami Florida; the area isn't actually a triangle. Instead, it doesn't have any official boundaries, and disappearances have happened in all of the surrounding areas of its three imaginary points, including the center and on the perimeter.
In December 1945, five Navy bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to conduct airfield tests. But their compasses began to malfunction, and the leader of the mission went severely off course. All five planes followed behind him as they aimlessly flew through the sky. They eventually ran out of fuel and had no choice but to ditch at sea. This isn't the only instance of a compass taking people off course once they entered the triangle. It is said to be one of the few places on Earth where a compass will point towards true north, misleading dozens of travelers.
Methane gas is reportedly trapped thousands of feet below the Bermuda Triangle's ocean floor. When the gas is released, it supposedly changes the buoyancy levels of the water, causing ships to sink almost instantly. The methane also has the ability to erupt and ignite passing aircraft. Many believe this explains the strange occurrences that have happened nearby, including lights flashing in the sky that many previously blamed on UFOs.
Even though the three points are well-known as the Bermuda Triangle, this area of the ocean isn't recognized as a real place. It's not found on any world maps, and the United States Navy refers to it as open ocean. So although people refer to the triangle, it's nothing more than imaginary lines in a region of the Atlantic.
When you view the area on a map, it looks relatively small. But the truth is, the region is massive. It covers approximately 500,000 square miles of ocean off the southern tip of Florida. It's also insanely deep - deeper than we'll probably ever be able to confirm. Ships and airplanes that sink into its waters remain there and will probably never be found. Studies have shown that the floor of this particular section of the ocean is riddled with sloping mountains, deep craters, and never-ending ravines.
