The Bermuda Triangle is an area bounded roughly by drawing lines from Miami, FL, USA to the island of Bermuda, to the island of Puerto Rico, back to Miami. It is supposedly the site of many disappearances of ships (sometimes just the crews) and planes over the centuries.
According to Jerome Clark in his book Unexplained!, the term "Bermuda Triangle" was coined by Vincent H. Addis in a 1964 Argosy magazine article. It is sometimes also called the "Devils Triangle" (which may have been a journalistic mistake; there is a separate area off the island of Japan called the "Devil's Sea") or the "hoodoo sea."
But is it really a mystery?
Although the events in the Bermuda Triangle have been cited as evidence of extraterrestrial or paranormal activity, the facts show otherwise. Larry Kusche, an Arizona State librarian, has written two books which debunk some of the so-called mysterious disappearances in the area. These can usually be attributed to unexceptional causes. Bubba, the Salty Dog's page has some excellent information on these debunkings. Additionally, Unexplained! notes that a spokesman for Lloyd's of London wrote a letter to Fate magazine, claiming that both LLoyd's and the US Coast Guard have data which shows that, statistically, the Bermuda Triangle area suffers no more losses than any other area of the ocean.
Some scientists have proposed interesting theories about the area, including one where releases of gas from undersea gas vents cause disturbances which disrupt the surface tension of the water, or the aerodynamics of the missing planes. To try this experiment yourself, take a tiny toy boat and put it in a glass filled with Alka-Seltzer(tm). Seriously.
However, if Mr. Kusche and Lloyd's are correct, these theories are not needed to explain the non-events associated with the Bermuda Triangle.
Information in this article taken from the books Unexplained!, by Jerome Clark and Without a Trace, by John Harris.
Additional reference titles:
The Bermuda Triangle Mystery - Solved, by Lawrence David Kusche.
The Disappearance of Flight 19, by Lawrence David Kusche.
See the reference list for complete bibliographic information.