Who Named the Bermuda Triangle? Not Vincent Gaddis—Charles Berlitz

Common misconception: Vincent Gaddis coined "Bermuda Triangle." He didn't.

The Actual Timeline

• 1950: Miami Herald article by Edward Van Winkle Jones mentions "mysterious disappearances" in "Devil's Sea" / "Graveyard of the Atlantic"—no triangle name.
• 1964: Vincent Gaddis writes "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" in Argosy magazine—first use of "Bermuda Triangle" in print. Describes triangular area (Miami–Bermuda–Puerto Rico).
• 1974: Charles Berlitz publishes The Bermuda Triangle (bestseller, 20M copies). Popularizes the term globally, adds supernatural speculation.

So Who Gets Credit?

• Gaddis: Coined the specific phrase "Bermuda Triangle" (1964).
• Berlitz: Made it a household name (1974).
• Neither: "Invented" the phenomenon—mariners knew the area's hazards (Gulf Stream, reefs, hurricanes, methane seeps) for centuries.

Why the Confusion?

Berlitz's book was so dominant that Gaddis's prior magazine article was forgotten. Many sources (including the original prompt) attribute the term to Berlitz. Gaddis also wrote on Fortean topics (UFOs, spontaneous combustion), which may have marginalized his claim.

Historical fact: Vincent Gaddis, Argosy, February 1964. The triangle was his rhetorical device; Berlitz built the myth.