1 00:00:02,460 --> 00:00:03,793 WILLIAM SHATNER: An area in the North Atlantic 2 00:00:03,918 --> 00:00:06,626 where ships vanish into thin air. 3 00:00:07,543 --> 00:00:09,460 A mountain range in the Nevada desert 4 00:00:09,585 --> 00:00:13,001 in which planes enter but never return. 5 00:00:13,085 --> 00:00:16,793 And a notorious region of the Alaskan wilderness 6 00:00:16,918 --> 00:00:20,668 that may contain a portal to another world. 7 00:00:22,376 --> 00:00:25,376 We've all heard of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. 8 00:00:25,501 --> 00:00:28,293 But the truth is that there are numerous places 9 00:00:28,418 --> 00:00:30,751 all over the world where ships, planes, 10 00:00:30,876 --> 00:00:33,251 and people enter, and then... 11 00:00:34,251 --> 00:00:35,835 ...just disappear. 12 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:37,376 But why? 13 00:00:37,543 --> 00:00:40,918 Do these locations defy the laws of physics? 14 00:00:41,043 --> 00:00:44,126 Do they possess evil energy? 15 00:00:44,251 --> 00:00:49,085 Or is it possible that there are some places on Earth 16 00:00:49,210 --> 00:00:52,210 that we are simply not meant to go? 17 00:00:52,293 --> 00:00:54,876 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 18 00:00:55,001 --> 00:00:57,543 ♪ ♪ 19 00:01:09,876 --> 00:01:12,376 SHATNER: In the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean 20 00:01:12,543 --> 00:01:15,085 lies a region where numerous ships and airplanes 21 00:01:15,251 --> 00:01:18,210 have inexplicably disappeared. 22 00:01:19,418 --> 00:01:21,210 Although this notorious area cannot be found 23 00:01:21,376 --> 00:01:23,543 on any official map, 24 00:01:23,668 --> 00:01:25,918 it has come to be known all over the world 25 00:01:26,085 --> 00:01:28,876 as the Bermuda Triangle. 26 00:01:30,376 --> 00:01:32,043 The Bermuda Triangle's approximately 27 00:01:32,210 --> 00:01:34,418 500,000 square miles of water 28 00:01:34,543 --> 00:01:37,293 between Bermuda, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. 29 00:01:38,876 --> 00:01:41,835 In the area, planes will crash, 30 00:01:41,918 --> 00:01:43,876 ships will go missing. 31 00:01:44,001 --> 00:01:45,793 It's just absolute bedlam. 32 00:01:47,293 --> 00:01:50,251 The Bermuda Triangle is seen as a mysterious place 33 00:01:50,376 --> 00:01:53,043 just because it's so big and vast, 34 00:01:53,168 --> 00:01:55,335 and lots of interesting things happen there. 35 00:01:56,585 --> 00:01:59,585 It is very strange that you have many ships lost there, 36 00:01:59,710 --> 00:02:04,543 and airplanes just went missing with no explanation for it. 37 00:02:04,710 --> 00:02:06,710 Is that a coincidence, or is there something 38 00:02:06,835 --> 00:02:08,376 nefarious at work? 39 00:02:09,751 --> 00:02:12,335 SHATNER: One of the noteworthy incidents that took place 40 00:02:12,418 --> 00:02:14,210 in the Bermuda Triangle is the disappearance 41 00:02:14,335 --> 00:02:16,085 of the USS Cyclops. 42 00:02:16,210 --> 00:02:21,043 In March of 1917, the massive cargo vessel, 43 00:02:21,126 --> 00:02:23,460 which had a crew of 306 seamen, 44 00:02:23,585 --> 00:02:26,460 was navigating through the Triangle 45 00:02:26,585 --> 00:02:29,835 when it mysteriously went missing. 46 00:02:31,210 --> 00:02:34,960 No wreckage or bodies were ever found, 47 00:02:35,085 --> 00:02:37,210 and over the years, there have been hundreds 48 00:02:37,293 --> 00:02:40,210 of other seemingly bizarre vanishings 49 00:02:40,335 --> 00:02:44,668 in this area that have baffled experts. 50 00:02:46,710 --> 00:02:49,001 The Bermuda Triangle is one of the great mysteries 51 00:02:49,126 --> 00:02:50,710 in modern history. 52 00:02:52,043 --> 00:02:53,876 Now, of course, hundreds of theories 53 00:02:54,001 --> 00:02:55,376 have been proposed. 54 00:02:55,501 --> 00:02:57,793 The first logical theory is the weather. 55 00:02:59,210 --> 00:03:00,960 Maybe there was a sudden hurricane 56 00:03:01,085 --> 00:03:02,710 that came out of nowhere. 57 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,835 Perhaps these jets and these ships 58 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,626 lost their way, and perhaps that's the reason 59 00:03:09,751 --> 00:03:11,126 why all hands were lost. 60 00:03:11,251 --> 00:03:12,751 That's a possibility. 61 00:03:12,918 --> 00:03:14,501 -(thunder crashing) -But when there are things 62 00:03:14,585 --> 00:03:17,376 that are difficult to solve, 63 00:03:17,501 --> 00:03:19,376 at that point people say, "Aha! 64 00:03:19,543 --> 00:03:22,501 "There must be something there beyond science 65 00:03:22,585 --> 00:03:24,460 that's making this happen." 66 00:03:26,210 --> 00:03:27,793 SHATNER: Is it possible that science 67 00:03:27,918 --> 00:03:30,335 cannot explain some of the disappearances 68 00:03:30,418 --> 00:03:33,210 that haven taken place within the Bermuda Triangle? 69 00:03:34,460 --> 00:03:37,251 There are those who believe that the answer is yes. 70 00:03:37,418 --> 00:03:39,043 And as evidence, they point to perhaps 71 00:03:39,126 --> 00:03:42,668 the most infamous mass disappearance 72 00:03:42,793 --> 00:03:44,751 that has taken place there to date. 73 00:03:53,251 --> 00:03:55,543 Five Navy torpedo bombers, 74 00:03:55,668 --> 00:03:57,876 collectively known as Flight 19, 75 00:03:58,001 --> 00:04:01,043 take off for what is supposed to be a routine training mission 76 00:04:01,210 --> 00:04:03,376 over the Atlantic Ocean. 77 00:04:04,793 --> 00:04:08,460 RICKSECKER: They took off due east from Fort Lauderdale 78 00:04:08,585 --> 00:04:10,876 into the Bermuda Triangle. 79 00:04:12,751 --> 00:04:16,710 After they reached their first stop on the run, 80 00:04:16,835 --> 00:04:17,876 they turned north. 81 00:04:19,376 --> 00:04:21,876 And that's when things started to get crazy. 82 00:04:23,210 --> 00:04:26,210 Their compasses started acting strange, 83 00:04:26,335 --> 00:04:29,376 and the crew started getting really confused 84 00:04:29,501 --> 00:04:31,210 about what was going on. 85 00:04:31,293 --> 00:04:32,668 One of the pilots actually thought 86 00:04:32,793 --> 00:04:34,668 that they may have been over the Florida Keys, 87 00:04:34,751 --> 00:04:37,793 which was nowhere near where they were supposed to be. 88 00:04:39,251 --> 00:04:41,376 SHATNER: For over four hours, ground control 89 00:04:41,460 --> 00:04:43,626 stayed in close radio contact with the pilots 90 00:04:43,751 --> 00:04:47,001 as they tried to find their bearings. 91 00:04:47,126 --> 00:04:50,376 BENJAMIN RADFORD: Flight 19 was led by Commander Charles Taylor, 92 00:04:50,543 --> 00:04:54,585 and the problem was that Taylor didn't know where he was. 93 00:04:54,710 --> 00:04:56,710 And not only was his compass malfunctioning, 94 00:04:56,835 --> 00:04:58,210 it was getting dark. 95 00:04:58,293 --> 00:05:00,918 And so you can sort of look at Flight 19 96 00:05:01,085 --> 00:05:04,626 as sort of the perfect storm of bad things happening. 97 00:05:05,876 --> 00:05:08,918 SHATNER: At about 6:30 p.m., the planes 98 00:05:09,043 --> 00:05:11,960 ominously dropped off radar. 99 00:05:12,085 --> 00:05:16,668 The Navy immediately launched a search and rescue operation, 100 00:05:16,793 --> 00:05:19,960 but curiously, no wreckage was ever found. 101 00:05:20,918 --> 00:05:26,585 All five planes vanished without a trace. 102 00:05:29,043 --> 00:05:32,543 RICKSECKER: The pilots were never heard from again. 103 00:05:32,626 --> 00:05:35,293 Nothing has ever been found that'd been lost. 104 00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:37,251 Almost equally bizarre 105 00:05:37,418 --> 00:05:40,043 was that one of the search and rescue planes 106 00:05:40,210 --> 00:05:41,835 went missing as well. 107 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:48,335 About two hours after takeoff, a Mariner floating plane 108 00:05:48,418 --> 00:05:50,960 lost contact with the base. 109 00:05:52,460 --> 00:05:54,126 Another one of the search and rescue planes 110 00:05:54,251 --> 00:05:56,043 came to take a look at the area 111 00:05:56,126 --> 00:05:58,001 and found nothing. 112 00:05:58,126 --> 00:06:01,835 This search and rescue plane was completely missing. 113 00:06:03,751 --> 00:06:07,251 SHATNER: All told, 27 airmen disappeared 114 00:06:07,418 --> 00:06:09,376 in the Flight 19 incident. 115 00:06:09,460 --> 00:06:12,335 But how is it possible that so many Navy pilots 116 00:06:12,418 --> 00:06:14,585 experienced malfunctions with their compasses 117 00:06:14,751 --> 00:06:16,376 that caused them to become lost 118 00:06:16,501 --> 00:06:18,126 and ultimately crash? 119 00:06:20,585 --> 00:06:22,918 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining reports 120 00:06:23,085 --> 00:06:25,335 of not only bizarre vanishings 121 00:06:25,460 --> 00:06:29,460 but also other kinds of strange occurrences 122 00:06:29,585 --> 00:06:32,460 that have taken place in the Bermuda Triangle 123 00:06:32,585 --> 00:06:34,126 for centuries. 124 00:06:35,835 --> 00:06:37,710 Our first reports of strange phenomena 125 00:06:37,835 --> 00:06:39,543 in the Bermuda Triangle actually came 126 00:06:39,626 --> 00:06:42,626 from Christopher Columbus in 1492. 127 00:06:46,793 --> 00:06:50,543 One night when they were journeying through the area, 128 00:06:50,668 --> 00:06:54,876 he noticed these unusual dancing lights across the water 129 00:06:55,001 --> 00:06:57,626 that he described as small wax candles 130 00:06:57,751 --> 00:07:01,460 that would rise and lower across the night sky. 131 00:07:01,585 --> 00:07:05,001 Columbus kept copious diary notes, 132 00:07:05,085 --> 00:07:09,543 and these state that he couldn't understand 133 00:07:09,710 --> 00:07:13,376 the strange lights going up and down. 134 00:07:13,501 --> 00:07:16,543 But beyond that, he reported that his compass 135 00:07:16,668 --> 00:07:18,960 started spinning wildly. 136 00:07:20,001 --> 00:07:22,585 This was something extremely unusual. 137 00:07:23,585 --> 00:07:25,376 SHATNER: Curiously, Christopher Columbus 138 00:07:25,543 --> 00:07:27,710 is not the only famous navigator 139 00:07:27,835 --> 00:07:32,460 to witness inexplicable activity in the Bermuda Triangle. 140 00:07:33,585 --> 00:07:37,460 In 1928, pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh 141 00:07:37,585 --> 00:07:40,710 had a similarly baffling experience. 142 00:07:41,918 --> 00:07:45,543 Charles Lindbergh was on a nonstop flight 143 00:07:45,710 --> 00:07:48,626 between Havana in Cuba 144 00:07:48,751 --> 00:07:51,585 and St. Louis in Missouri. 145 00:07:51,710 --> 00:07:54,376 And over the Florida Straits, 146 00:07:54,501 --> 00:07:58,460 he suddenly encountered this very strange haze 147 00:07:58,585 --> 00:08:01,543 that surrounded the aircraft. 148 00:08:01,668 --> 00:08:04,085 And he thought, "Well, okay, if I climb higher, 149 00:08:04,210 --> 00:08:05,751 I should be able to lose it." 150 00:08:05,876 --> 00:08:07,543 But it seemed to follow him. 151 00:08:08,543 --> 00:08:10,251 He couldn't see anything around him at all. 152 00:08:10,376 --> 00:08:16,376 At the same time, his compass started spinning wildly. 153 00:08:16,501 --> 00:08:19,585 And this continued for hours 154 00:08:19,751 --> 00:08:23,668 until finally the haze started to disappear 155 00:08:23,751 --> 00:08:27,376 and he could see beneath him the Bahamas. 156 00:08:27,543 --> 00:08:29,835 And he knew at this point 157 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,043 that he was now around 300 miles off course. 158 00:08:35,460 --> 00:08:37,335 So, obviously, he recorrected himself 159 00:08:37,418 --> 00:08:39,293 and finished his journey. 160 00:08:39,418 --> 00:08:43,876 But it would definitely seem as if Charles Lindbergh 161 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,126 did experience the same type of phenomena 162 00:08:47,251 --> 00:08:50,376 which could well have been behind the disappearance 163 00:08:50,501 --> 00:08:52,918 of a number of planes in the Bermuda Triangle. 164 00:08:54,501 --> 00:08:56,210 SHATNER: Do the anomalies witnessed 165 00:08:56,293 --> 00:08:58,585 by both Christopher Columbus and Charles Lindbergh 166 00:08:58,751 --> 00:09:02,876 suggest that unusual phenomena may be responsible 167 00:09:03,001 --> 00:09:05,543 for causing airplanes and ships to disappear 168 00:09:05,668 --> 00:09:07,751 in the Bermuda Triangle? 169 00:09:07,918 --> 00:09:12,001 And is it possible that science does not have all the answers 170 00:09:12,085 --> 00:09:17,085 when it comes to what happens in this area, as some believe? 171 00:09:18,585 --> 00:09:20,293 The fact that there have been scores 172 00:09:20,418 --> 00:09:22,751 of rather mysterious disappearances... 173 00:09:23,835 --> 00:09:26,460 ...with all hands on board just disappearing 174 00:09:26,585 --> 00:09:28,835 off the face of the Earth, 175 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,918 it means that it's possible 176 00:09:31,043 --> 00:09:33,376 that perhaps none of these disappearances 177 00:09:33,460 --> 00:09:35,585 will ever be adequately explained. 178 00:09:36,918 --> 00:09:39,668 And so there is a chance that 100 years from now, 179 00:09:39,793 --> 00:09:43,168 we'll still be debating what happens 180 00:09:43,251 --> 00:09:44,835 in the Bermuda Triangle. 181 00:09:47,751 --> 00:09:50,043 Are the strange incidents that happen 182 00:09:50,168 --> 00:09:53,043 in the Bermuda Triangle just freak accidents? 183 00:09:53,168 --> 00:09:55,626 Or could there be stranger forces at play, 184 00:09:55,751 --> 00:09:57,376 as many people believe? 185 00:09:57,501 --> 00:09:59,001 Perhaps the answer can be found 186 00:09:59,085 --> 00:10:02,876 by examining several mysterious disappearances 187 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:07,126 that have occurred in the heart of the United States. 188 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,210 SHATNER: On a bright, clear morning in this small desert town, 189 00:10:18,376 --> 00:10:21,585 billionaire adventurer and pilot Steve Fossett 190 00:10:21,710 --> 00:10:24,043 takes off for a scenic flight... 191 00:10:25,418 --> 00:10:27,293 ...and is never heard from again. 192 00:10:30,293 --> 00:10:31,543 PAULIDES: Fossett should have been back 193 00:10:31,626 --> 00:10:33,043 within about two hours. 194 00:10:33,168 --> 00:10:34,543 He didn't come back. 195 00:10:34,626 --> 00:10:37,501 The airport called search and rescue, 196 00:10:37,585 --> 00:10:40,376 and what encompassed was the biggest search 197 00:10:40,460 --> 00:10:43,376 for an aircraft in Nevada of all time. 198 00:10:43,460 --> 00:10:45,293 It went on for days. 199 00:10:46,793 --> 00:10:48,543 MAN: We've got 200 people looking. 200 00:10:48,710 --> 00:10:50,710 We haven't just hit these areas once, 201 00:10:50,793 --> 00:10:53,168 we have flown over 'em two, three, four times 202 00:10:53,293 --> 00:10:56,876 with different type of aircraft at different altitudes. 203 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:58,751 And then, on top of that, 204 00:10:58,876 --> 00:11:00,418 it wasn't just the people in the air, 205 00:11:00,543 --> 00:11:02,043 it wasn't just the ground-pounders, 206 00:11:02,126 --> 00:11:03,918 but there was also people at home that were looking. 207 00:11:04,085 --> 00:11:06,460 There were thousands of people online 208 00:11:06,585 --> 00:11:08,293 that were looking at Google Earth, 209 00:11:08,418 --> 00:11:12,085 trying to see if they could find some remnants or a crash site. 210 00:11:12,210 --> 00:11:15,001 In essence, they threw every imaginable resource 211 00:11:15,085 --> 00:11:16,918 into finding Steve Fossett. 212 00:11:18,168 --> 00:11:20,001 SHATNER: Federal investigators leading the search 213 00:11:20,085 --> 00:11:22,835 for Steve Fossett were baffled by his disappearance 214 00:11:22,918 --> 00:11:26,876 because he was a highly experienced pilot. 215 00:11:27,001 --> 00:11:31,043 Steve Fossett had set some 91 aviation records, 216 00:11:31,168 --> 00:11:35,710 including being the first person to circumnavigate the globe 217 00:11:35,876 --> 00:11:39,043 in an airplane solo without refueling. 218 00:11:39,168 --> 00:11:42,043 So that's why when he went off on that day 219 00:11:42,168 --> 00:11:46,085 in an airplane and disappeared, people were shocked, 220 00:11:46,251 --> 00:11:48,001 because this is not something you expect 221 00:11:48,126 --> 00:11:49,835 from somebody like Steve Fossett. 222 00:11:51,251 --> 00:11:52,876 PAULIDES: During the search for Mr. Fossett, 223 00:11:53,043 --> 00:11:56,626 the searchers came across a multitude 224 00:11:56,751 --> 00:11:59,835 of other planes that had crashed. 225 00:11:59,918 --> 00:12:02,210 Some they knew about, a few they didn't. 226 00:12:02,293 --> 00:12:06,876 But what it tells you is the quality of the search 227 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:08,668 they made for him. 228 00:12:08,751 --> 00:12:12,251 It was intensive, and they weren't finding him. 229 00:12:13,376 --> 00:12:15,126 SHATNER: After a month of investigation, 230 00:12:15,251 --> 00:12:18,376 authorities stopped the search for Steve Fossett. 231 00:12:18,501 --> 00:12:22,501 And then, in February of 2008, 232 00:12:22,626 --> 00:12:24,168 Fossett was declared legally dead, 233 00:12:24,293 --> 00:12:26,376 even though both he and his plane 234 00:12:26,543 --> 00:12:28,126 were still missing. 235 00:12:29,376 --> 00:12:34,210 But what could have caused such a highly skilled pilot 236 00:12:34,376 --> 00:12:38,543 to seemingly disappear off the face of the Earth? 237 00:12:41,085 --> 00:12:43,210 There are those who believe the answer is tied to the fact 238 00:12:43,293 --> 00:12:46,376 that Fossett was flying in what is known 239 00:12:46,543 --> 00:12:49,251 as the Nevada Triangle. 240 00:12:50,335 --> 00:12:53,335 MORENO: The Nevada Triangle, it goes from Reno 241 00:12:53,418 --> 00:12:54,960 down to Las Vegas, 242 00:12:55,085 --> 00:12:57,543 and then over to Fresno, and it's on the edge 243 00:12:57,710 --> 00:12:59,335 of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. 244 00:12:59,418 --> 00:13:02,085 And the reason that it's known as the Nevada Triangle 245 00:13:02,210 --> 00:13:05,210 is that some 2,000 mostly small aircraft 246 00:13:05,293 --> 00:13:10,210 have crashed within that zone in the last 60 years. 247 00:13:11,251 --> 00:13:13,210 It's seen as this kind of Bermuda Triangle 248 00:13:13,376 --> 00:13:15,543 of the Sierra Nevada. 249 00:13:15,710 --> 00:13:17,168 SHATNER: While the Bermuda Triangle 250 00:13:17,251 --> 00:13:19,668 may be better known, the Nevada Triangle 251 00:13:19,751 --> 00:13:21,793 is actually far more deadly. 252 00:13:22,918 --> 00:13:24,668 On average, nearly three planes go missing 253 00:13:24,793 --> 00:13:28,085 in this mysterious area every month. 254 00:13:30,585 --> 00:13:32,626 MORENO: One of the earliest planes that disappeared 255 00:13:32,751 --> 00:13:35,585 in the Nevada Triangle was from a flight 256 00:13:35,751 --> 00:13:37,543 taken by a man named by Charles Ogle. 257 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:42,251 And Ogle, like Fossett, was a successful businessman 258 00:13:42,376 --> 00:13:44,043 and a veteran pilot. 259 00:13:44,168 --> 00:13:47,376 And so, for him to disappear on a routine flight 260 00:13:47,543 --> 00:13:49,210 was out of the ordinary. 261 00:13:49,293 --> 00:13:53,418 But he did, and his plane is still out there somewhere. 262 00:13:53,585 --> 00:13:55,876 So, that's still a mystery of the Nevada Triangle 263 00:13:56,001 --> 00:13:58,126 that hasn't been resolved. 264 00:13:58,251 --> 00:14:00,585 Another famous story of an airplane 265 00:14:00,710 --> 00:14:05,376 that crashed in the triangle was a B-24 Liberator. 266 00:14:05,543 --> 00:14:08,376 It was 1943, and this B-24 267 00:14:08,460 --> 00:14:12,501 took off from Fresno, reported in a few times, 268 00:14:12,585 --> 00:14:15,543 and then just kind of suddenly disappeared. 269 00:14:15,710 --> 00:14:18,626 And so the U.S. military 270 00:14:18,751 --> 00:14:21,210 immediately sent out nine more B-24s 271 00:14:21,335 --> 00:14:23,043 to do searches. 272 00:14:23,168 --> 00:14:25,876 And then another one disappeared. 273 00:14:26,001 --> 00:14:28,085 And so it became part of the legend 274 00:14:28,251 --> 00:14:31,043 of the Nevada Triangle, is you have two B-24s, 275 00:14:31,168 --> 00:14:33,501 these big lumbering planes that are, you know, 276 00:14:33,626 --> 00:14:36,085 supposed to drop bombs on places, et cetera, 277 00:14:36,210 --> 00:14:37,918 and they both go down in the mountains 278 00:14:38,085 --> 00:14:41,001 somewhere between the Nevada-California border. 279 00:14:42,418 --> 00:14:45,210 SHATNER: What is going on in the Nevada Triangle 280 00:14:45,335 --> 00:14:48,001 that is causing so many planes to disappear? 281 00:14:48,126 --> 00:14:51,168 Perhaps the answer can be found by taking a closer look 282 00:14:51,293 --> 00:14:53,460 at the Steve Fossett case, 283 00:14:53,585 --> 00:14:58,043 because two years after Fossett's plane vanished, 284 00:14:58,168 --> 00:15:03,335 it then seemed to inexplicably reappear. 285 00:15:03,460 --> 00:15:05,960 In October of 2008, there's a hiker 286 00:15:06,085 --> 00:15:07,876 out in the Mammoth Mountains area 287 00:15:08,001 --> 00:15:10,043 walking with his dog, and he finds 288 00:15:10,126 --> 00:15:14,210 $1,000 in $100 bills 289 00:15:14,335 --> 00:15:17,710 and thinks that's kind of interesting and unusual. 290 00:15:17,835 --> 00:15:20,210 But also he found the pilot's license. 291 00:15:20,335 --> 00:15:22,168 He started to look at the license, 292 00:15:22,251 --> 00:15:23,668 and he realized, "Wait, this is that guy 293 00:15:23,751 --> 00:15:25,376 that was missing." 294 00:15:25,460 --> 00:15:27,793 So he took it to the local authorities, 295 00:15:27,918 --> 00:15:30,918 and then they mount a new search of that area 296 00:15:31,085 --> 00:15:33,585 and they start finding other things. 297 00:15:36,376 --> 00:15:39,043 They find the engine of the plane, 298 00:15:39,210 --> 00:15:41,876 and they find a tail section with the number on it 299 00:15:42,001 --> 00:15:44,626 which clearly identifies it as the airplane. 300 00:15:45,835 --> 00:15:47,043 Also, they find a pair of sneakers 301 00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:49,126 and a couple of bones. 302 00:15:49,251 --> 00:15:52,043 So, they take the bones, they do DNA on 'em, 303 00:15:52,210 --> 00:15:56,210 and it turns out that it is the remains of Steve Fossett. 304 00:15:58,460 --> 00:16:00,335 PAULIDES: The intriguing part about this 305 00:16:00,418 --> 00:16:02,543 is that several articles at the time 306 00:16:02,710 --> 00:16:05,543 stated that aircraft had flown over the location 307 00:16:05,710 --> 00:16:07,960 where he was found 19 times. 308 00:16:09,085 --> 00:16:12,418 And somehow the wreckage was missed. 309 00:16:12,585 --> 00:16:15,376 Also, people on the ground, when they recovered his remains 310 00:16:15,501 --> 00:16:18,210 and the aircraft, stated that there was even a small fire 311 00:16:18,376 --> 00:16:22,043 on the ground in close proximity to where all of this happened. 312 00:16:22,126 --> 00:16:25,585 Discoloration of the associated foliage 313 00:16:25,710 --> 00:16:29,210 would have been unusual and something to look at 314 00:16:29,293 --> 00:16:31,126 by the people in the air. 315 00:16:31,251 --> 00:16:33,960 And so I don't have a rational explanation 316 00:16:34,085 --> 00:16:36,376 how Steve Fossett's plane 317 00:16:36,501 --> 00:16:39,251 was missed 19 times from the air. 318 00:16:40,668 --> 00:16:43,710 COLLINS: How is it possible that all of these searches 319 00:16:43,835 --> 00:16:45,876 missed this wreckage? 320 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,210 I mean, there is no obvious answer. 321 00:16:50,918 --> 00:16:53,876 But we have to raise the question 322 00:16:54,043 --> 00:16:57,876 of whether the wreckage was not there 323 00:16:58,043 --> 00:17:00,751 during the intervening period, 324 00:17:00,876 --> 00:17:02,960 and that Steve Fossett 325 00:17:03,085 --> 00:17:07,293 encountered one of these mysterious anomalies 326 00:17:07,418 --> 00:17:09,960 that we know to be associated 327 00:17:10,085 --> 00:17:14,043 with the Bermuda and Nevada Triangle regions. 328 00:17:14,126 --> 00:17:16,710 Steve Fossett's plane could have actually gone 329 00:17:16,835 --> 00:17:18,793 into another dimension for a year 330 00:17:18,918 --> 00:17:23,793 and then be ejected out of it back into our own reality. 331 00:17:25,335 --> 00:17:27,376 PAULIDES: When you look at the Steve Fossett case 332 00:17:27,543 --> 00:17:30,418 and you understand that normal search and rescue 333 00:17:30,543 --> 00:17:33,210 is gonna find this pilot and the plane, 334 00:17:33,293 --> 00:17:35,210 and somehow or another, 335 00:17:35,335 --> 00:17:37,210 it didn't happen for over a year, 336 00:17:37,293 --> 00:17:39,168 you have to ask yourself, 337 00:17:39,251 --> 00:17:42,460 was it there or was it not? 338 00:17:44,293 --> 00:17:47,626 SHATNER: Do mysterious anomalies within the Nevada Triangle 339 00:17:47,751 --> 00:17:50,210 cause planes to disappear? 340 00:17:50,335 --> 00:17:53,543 Perhaps. But many researchers believe 341 00:17:53,668 --> 00:17:56,001 there is a much more powerful triangle 342 00:17:56,126 --> 00:17:59,460 located in the American Midwest. 343 00:17:59,585 --> 00:18:02,168 It's an area of Lake Michigan where thousands of ships 344 00:18:02,293 --> 00:18:05,835 have gone missing and have never been found. 345 00:18:14,001 --> 00:18:17,043 Steven Kubacki, a 23-year-old student 346 00:18:17,126 --> 00:18:18,710 at nearby Hope College, 347 00:18:18,835 --> 00:18:21,168 sets out for a day of cross-country skiing 348 00:18:21,251 --> 00:18:23,085 along the shore of Lake Michigan. 349 00:18:24,085 --> 00:18:26,543 But by nightfall it becomes clear 350 00:18:26,710 --> 00:18:30,251 that Steven isn't going to return. 351 00:18:31,501 --> 00:18:33,918 Steven Kubacki told his friends where he was going 352 00:18:34,085 --> 00:18:36,210 and that he'd be back later that night. 353 00:18:36,376 --> 00:18:39,251 When he didn't return, his friends called for help. 354 00:18:40,543 --> 00:18:43,501 Search and rescue responded, and Michigan State Police 355 00:18:43,626 --> 00:18:48,293 found his skis and a backpack on the beach of Lake Michigan. 356 00:18:48,418 --> 00:18:50,460 And what happened is, is that the search and rescue 357 00:18:50,585 --> 00:18:55,751 individuals found tracks going from the beach and the backpack 358 00:18:55,876 --> 00:18:59,043 out onto the ice and ending. 359 00:18:59,126 --> 00:19:01,126 It was a one-way track. 360 00:19:02,918 --> 00:19:05,043 They searched for over a week. 361 00:19:05,168 --> 00:19:07,085 They found no other evidence. 362 00:19:07,210 --> 00:19:09,043 Everybody thinks Kubacki's dead. 363 00:19:09,210 --> 00:19:11,668 Essentially, the case is closed. 364 00:19:13,293 --> 00:19:15,210 SHATNER: The authorities concluded that Steven Kubacki 365 00:19:15,335 --> 00:19:17,918 had fallen in the lake and drowned. 366 00:19:19,668 --> 00:19:24,335 That is, until he mysteriously reappeared over a year later, 367 00:19:24,418 --> 00:19:28,168 more than 600 miles away from where he was last seen. 368 00:19:29,793 --> 00:19:32,335 PAULIDES: 14 months later, Steven wakes up 369 00:19:32,418 --> 00:19:37,668 in Massachusetts approximately 20 miles from his dad's house. 370 00:19:37,751 --> 00:19:39,126 He makes his way there, 371 00:19:39,251 --> 00:19:41,751 and his parents are just floored. 372 00:19:41,876 --> 00:19:43,585 They thought Steven was dead. 373 00:19:45,043 --> 00:19:46,376 He has no idea how he got there, 374 00:19:46,501 --> 00:19:48,418 and the last memory he said he had 375 00:19:48,543 --> 00:19:51,626 was being on a very cold Lake Michigan. 376 00:19:51,751 --> 00:19:54,418 So the million-dollar question is: what happened 377 00:19:54,543 --> 00:19:59,085 from the time he was on Lake Michigan on a frozen lake 378 00:19:59,210 --> 00:20:02,293 to the time he arrives in Massachusetts? 379 00:20:03,251 --> 00:20:04,501 It's a scenario that's played out 380 00:20:04,626 --> 00:20:06,001 hundreds and hundreds of times 381 00:20:06,126 --> 00:20:07,626 on Lake Michigan on the shores. 382 00:20:07,751 --> 00:20:10,210 People disappear. 383 00:20:11,418 --> 00:20:12,710 They lose their memory, 384 00:20:12,835 --> 00:20:14,710 and suddenly they appear someplace else. 385 00:20:14,835 --> 00:20:16,876 They don't have any idea where they're at. 386 00:20:18,460 --> 00:20:20,460 SHATNER: Steven Kubacki is just one of many people, 387 00:20:20,585 --> 00:20:23,085 planes, and ships to have gone missing 388 00:20:23,210 --> 00:20:26,501 in what is known as the Michigan Triangle. 389 00:20:27,835 --> 00:20:29,710 TUTTLE: The Michigan Triangle is bordered 390 00:20:29,793 --> 00:20:33,585 by Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Ludington, Michigan, 391 00:20:33,751 --> 00:20:37,085 on the north side, and the southeast point 392 00:20:37,210 --> 00:20:39,293 is the bottom of the state of Michigan. 393 00:20:39,418 --> 00:20:41,585 In the Bermuda Triangle, things just go missing. 394 00:20:41,710 --> 00:20:44,251 In the Michigan Triangle, strange things happen. 395 00:20:44,376 --> 00:20:48,543 One ship went down in the Michigan Triangle 396 00:20:48,626 --> 00:20:51,376 and it turned turtle, flipped upside down. 397 00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:55,376 It was found upside down with none of the 11 crew on it. 398 00:20:56,460 --> 00:20:57,793 PAULIDES: One of the most famous stories 399 00:20:57,918 --> 00:21:00,960 from the Michigan Triangle is Flight 2501, 400 00:21:01,085 --> 00:21:06,335 a Northwest Orient flight from New York to Seattle 401 00:21:06,418 --> 00:21:08,501 back in 1950. 402 00:21:08,585 --> 00:21:11,918 It flew over the lake, vanished, 403 00:21:12,085 --> 00:21:17,293 and as advanced as technology is today with side-scan sonar, 404 00:21:17,418 --> 00:21:18,960 they've gone up and down that lake 405 00:21:19,085 --> 00:21:20,376 as recently as a year ago, 406 00:21:20,501 --> 00:21:23,293 and they still cannot find that flight. 407 00:21:24,835 --> 00:21:27,251 SHATNER: What could be causing the strange occurrences 408 00:21:27,376 --> 00:21:29,460 within the Michigan Triangle? 409 00:21:29,585 --> 00:21:32,418 Well, some researchers claim they are the result 410 00:21:32,585 --> 00:21:38,460 of a geological phenomenon known as magnetotelluric current. 411 00:21:38,585 --> 00:21:40,168 TRAVIS TAYLOR: The idea of telluric current 412 00:21:40,251 --> 00:21:43,210 is the concept that planets will generate 413 00:21:43,293 --> 00:21:44,918 certain locations that have 414 00:21:45,085 --> 00:21:47,835 more electromagnetic anomalies than others. 415 00:21:49,085 --> 00:21:53,501 And in these places, just below the surface 416 00:21:53,585 --> 00:21:55,793 is actually a mixture of minerals and salts 417 00:21:55,918 --> 00:21:58,543 and things in the ground that are conductive. 418 00:21:58,626 --> 00:22:01,543 So there's an energy field 419 00:22:01,668 --> 00:22:05,001 that travels certain paths around the Earth. 420 00:22:06,126 --> 00:22:08,210 HUGH NEWMAN: Some people have suggested that inside 421 00:22:08,376 --> 00:22:09,960 the Lake Michigan Triangle, 422 00:22:10,085 --> 00:22:13,751 where people have had very strange disappearances, 423 00:22:13,876 --> 00:22:16,710 strange anomalies, and many other things, 424 00:22:16,876 --> 00:22:20,418 it could be some kind of geology mixed with Earth energies 425 00:22:20,543 --> 00:22:22,460 and telluric currents that cause this. 426 00:22:22,585 --> 00:22:24,668 And so we have to consider there could be something 427 00:22:24,751 --> 00:22:26,376 much more profound going on there 428 00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:27,876 than we currently realize. 429 00:22:29,376 --> 00:22:30,876 SHATNER: Is the Michigan Triangle 430 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,043 affected by the energy of the Earth itself? 431 00:22:34,168 --> 00:22:36,501 There are those who believe the answer is yes, 432 00:22:36,585 --> 00:22:40,835 and as evidence they point to a curious discovery 433 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,751 that was made at the bottom of Lake Michigan. 434 00:22:46,668 --> 00:22:50,501 COLLINS: In 2007, underwater archaeologist 435 00:22:50,585 --> 00:22:54,501 Mark Holley of the Northwestern University 436 00:22:54,585 --> 00:22:57,585 was diving in Lake Michigan. 437 00:22:57,710 --> 00:23:00,710 He was looking for shipwrecks, 438 00:23:00,793 --> 00:23:04,418 but he actually came across something quite different. 439 00:23:04,585 --> 00:23:09,210 In 12 feet of water, he found a series 440 00:23:09,293 --> 00:23:11,710 of standing stones 441 00:23:11,876 --> 00:23:15,668 that seemed to form a circular pattern. 442 00:23:16,835 --> 00:23:19,418 What was interesting is that amongst the stones 443 00:23:19,543 --> 00:23:25,001 was what appeared to be this carving of an animal 444 00:23:25,126 --> 00:23:28,501 known as a mastodon that actually disappeared 445 00:23:28,626 --> 00:23:31,585 towards the end of the last ice age. 446 00:23:31,710 --> 00:23:36,543 And so this stone structure must have been down there 447 00:23:36,710 --> 00:23:39,376 for at least 10,000 years 448 00:23:39,501 --> 00:23:42,168 before the lake took its final form 449 00:23:42,251 --> 00:23:44,085 at the end of the last ice age. 450 00:23:45,710 --> 00:23:48,501 SHATNER: The formation was dubbed the Michigan Stonehenge 451 00:23:48,585 --> 00:23:50,501 due to its similarity 452 00:23:50,626 --> 00:23:52,585 to the world-famous ancient monument 453 00:23:52,751 --> 00:23:55,126 located in Wiltshire, England. 454 00:23:55,251 --> 00:23:56,668 While we don't know specifically 455 00:23:56,751 --> 00:23:59,085 what the Michigan Stonehenge was used for, 456 00:23:59,210 --> 00:24:03,126 there are a lot of ideas about how other stone circles 457 00:24:03,251 --> 00:24:06,501 around the globe, like Stonehenge, 458 00:24:06,626 --> 00:24:09,876 the Rollright Stones, and Drombeg Circle, 459 00:24:10,043 --> 00:24:12,751 were tapping into the telluric current 460 00:24:12,876 --> 00:24:16,960 in the ground and harnessing that Earth energy 461 00:24:17,085 --> 00:24:19,001 and these nodes of power. 462 00:24:20,835 --> 00:24:23,460 COLLINS: Stone circles are found all over the world. 463 00:24:23,585 --> 00:24:27,376 Often, the stone circles are placed very close 464 00:24:27,460 --> 00:24:31,376 to where this strange phenomena can be seen. 465 00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:35,168 And this is very likely the case 466 00:24:35,251 --> 00:24:37,710 with what we have at Lake Michigan. 467 00:24:37,835 --> 00:24:42,501 So we have to ask ourselves, what was this stone circle, 468 00:24:42,585 --> 00:24:44,626 and how did it relate to the fact 469 00:24:44,751 --> 00:24:48,876 that in the area around Lake Michigan, to this day, 470 00:24:49,001 --> 00:24:52,543 there are a large number of disappearances 471 00:24:52,668 --> 00:24:54,376 of planes and humans, 472 00:24:54,543 --> 00:24:58,251 and is it possible that the two are linked? 473 00:25:00,751 --> 00:25:03,043 The idea that electrical currents in the Earth 474 00:25:03,126 --> 00:25:07,001 cause strange disappearances inside the Michigan Triangle 475 00:25:07,126 --> 00:25:09,585 is certainly a provocative theory. 476 00:25:09,710 --> 00:25:12,918 But something even more bizarre may be happening 477 00:25:13,043 --> 00:25:15,251 in a region of the Alaskan wilderness, 478 00:25:15,418 --> 00:25:17,710 where it is believed that people 479 00:25:17,835 --> 00:25:21,793 cross over into another dimension. 480 00:25:25,793 --> 00:25:28,626 SHATNER: Alaska-- here among the rugged mountains, 481 00:25:28,751 --> 00:25:32,585 dense forests, and towering glaciers 482 00:25:32,751 --> 00:25:35,376 lies a mysterious stretch of wilderness 483 00:25:35,460 --> 00:25:39,543 where more than 16,000 people 484 00:25:39,710 --> 00:25:42,543 have gone missing since 1988. 485 00:25:42,668 --> 00:25:48,043 Locals refer to this area as the Alaska Triangle. 486 00:25:48,210 --> 00:25:50,501 RICKSECKER: The Alaska Triangle stretches from Juneau 487 00:25:50,585 --> 00:25:52,876 in the south to Anchorage in the middle, 488 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:54,585 all the way up to Utqiagvik 489 00:25:54,710 --> 00:25:57,376 at the most northern point in Alaska. 490 00:25:57,501 --> 00:26:00,043 Like other triangle areas of the world, 491 00:26:00,168 --> 00:26:04,251 planes will crash, people will go missing. 492 00:26:04,376 --> 00:26:07,585 But the Alaska Triangle seems to be more volatile 493 00:26:07,751 --> 00:26:09,710 than other areas of the world. 494 00:26:11,293 --> 00:26:13,168 PAULIDES: You have to remember that Alaska 495 00:26:13,251 --> 00:26:18,876 has some of the most notoriously difficult terrain, 496 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:20,126 weather... 497 00:26:21,835 --> 00:26:24,710 ...and it has the highest number of private planes 498 00:26:24,876 --> 00:26:26,668 anywhere in the United States. 499 00:26:26,793 --> 00:26:29,543 So, in one sense it's not surprising 500 00:26:29,710 --> 00:26:31,960 they have a number of people that go missing there. 501 00:26:32,085 --> 00:26:36,001 In another sense it's quite fantastic 502 00:26:36,085 --> 00:26:38,751 when you look at the stories behind the missing. 503 00:26:40,085 --> 00:26:44,626 In January 1950, a Douglas C-54D Skymaster 504 00:26:44,751 --> 00:26:47,876 taking off from Elmendorf Air Force Base 505 00:26:48,001 --> 00:26:51,168 was headed toward Montana. 506 00:26:51,293 --> 00:26:54,043 It was a beautiful day, only a few clouds in the sky, 507 00:26:54,168 --> 00:26:58,126 yet just as it passed over into Yukon Territory, 508 00:26:58,251 --> 00:27:01,751 the Air Force lost complete radio contact with it. 509 00:27:04,251 --> 00:27:08,668 Both United States and Canadian military forces teamed up, 510 00:27:08,751 --> 00:27:13,960 about 7,000 personnel scanning 350,000 square miles 511 00:27:14,085 --> 00:27:17,376 of territory for this missing airplane, 512 00:27:17,501 --> 00:27:19,376 and couldn't find a thing. 513 00:27:19,460 --> 00:27:22,835 But what's even stranger is, just two weeks later, 514 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,168 a smaller plane went down in the same area. 515 00:27:27,501 --> 00:27:31,126 They were able to find that immediately. 516 00:27:31,251 --> 00:27:35,585 Yet the larger airplane, the Skymaster, 517 00:27:35,751 --> 00:27:38,543 they've never been able to find a thing. 518 00:27:38,668 --> 00:27:40,751 It completely disappeared. 519 00:27:42,251 --> 00:27:44,710 PAULIDES: When you look at the Alaska Triangle, 520 00:27:44,835 --> 00:27:47,085 one of the few times a search and rescue person 521 00:27:47,251 --> 00:27:49,335 has ever disappeared was an individual 522 00:27:49,418 --> 00:27:50,876 named Gerald DeBerry. 523 00:27:51,001 --> 00:27:54,376 And he was on a search outside of Fairbanks, 524 00:27:54,543 --> 00:27:56,751 and he was on an ATV, 525 00:27:56,918 --> 00:27:58,876 and he never showed back up after the search. 526 00:27:59,001 --> 00:28:01,668 The Alaska State Troopers bring K-9s in, 527 00:28:01,751 --> 00:28:03,793 the K-9s can't find a scent. 528 00:28:03,918 --> 00:28:05,668 They bring professional trackers in, 529 00:28:05,751 --> 00:28:07,210 they can't find tracks. 530 00:28:07,293 --> 00:28:10,043 And strangely, they couldn't find the ATV. 531 00:28:10,168 --> 00:28:14,418 It was a year later, a hiker finds the ATV, 532 00:28:14,585 --> 00:28:16,460 engine's turned off, 533 00:28:16,585 --> 00:28:19,043 and the Alaska State Troopers went in 534 00:28:19,168 --> 00:28:21,210 and did another massive search. 535 00:28:22,835 --> 00:28:24,835 He's never been found. 536 00:28:26,126 --> 00:28:27,710 SHATNER: The number of people that are reported missing 537 00:28:27,835 --> 00:28:29,710 in Alaska every year is twice as high 538 00:28:29,835 --> 00:28:31,668 as the national average. 539 00:28:31,793 --> 00:28:33,835 But can all of these disappearances 540 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,918 be explained by Alaska's unforgiving wilderness? 541 00:28:38,085 --> 00:28:40,543 It's possible, but there are those who believe 542 00:28:40,626 --> 00:28:43,335 that something more extraordinary 543 00:28:43,460 --> 00:28:44,876 may be taking place. 544 00:28:45,043 --> 00:28:47,376 And as evidence, they point to stories 545 00:28:47,501 --> 00:28:50,793 in local folklore that describe strange creatures 546 00:28:50,918 --> 00:28:54,251 suddenly appearing out of thin air. 547 00:28:55,751 --> 00:28:58,418 Alaska's an area where there are many unknowns, 548 00:28:58,585 --> 00:28:59,835 many mysteries. 549 00:28:59,918 --> 00:29:02,085 And there are very common stories 550 00:29:02,210 --> 00:29:04,876 of what you might call monsters in the lake. 551 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:07,585 One of the very compelling examples 552 00:29:07,710 --> 00:29:09,543 actually comes from the Kenia Peninsula, 553 00:29:09,626 --> 00:29:11,293 on the southern part of it. 554 00:29:11,418 --> 00:29:14,210 There's an abandoned town called Portlock. 555 00:29:14,293 --> 00:29:17,918 It was a cannery town, a very successful one early on. 556 00:29:18,085 --> 00:29:21,043 But it started getting terrorized 557 00:29:21,210 --> 00:29:22,418 by a monster. 558 00:29:23,835 --> 00:29:26,751 So, this monster would attack people, 559 00:29:26,876 --> 00:29:29,668 kill people, to the point where, by 1950, 560 00:29:29,793 --> 00:29:31,918 the entire town was abandoned. 561 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,751 This creature was identified as the Nantinaq. 562 00:29:36,876 --> 00:29:38,418 Nantinaq can be thought of very much 563 00:29:38,543 --> 00:29:42,210 in the sort of wider tradition of bigfoot or Sasquatch, 564 00:29:42,293 --> 00:29:46,335 somewhere on the slippery slope between man and creature. 565 00:29:47,835 --> 00:29:49,251 NEWMAN: Some people have suggested 566 00:29:49,376 --> 00:29:52,918 that these are entities that live between worlds, 567 00:29:53,085 --> 00:29:55,001 that they come through portals, 568 00:29:55,126 --> 00:29:57,418 and they return back through portals. 569 00:29:57,543 --> 00:30:00,376 What this world is that they come from, we don't know, 570 00:30:00,501 --> 00:30:01,835 but they're rarely seen. 571 00:30:01,918 --> 00:30:04,085 They often disappear into thin air. 572 00:30:05,335 --> 00:30:07,751 So there is a good chance that it's not just that people 573 00:30:07,876 --> 00:30:09,460 get lost in the wilderness. 574 00:30:11,168 --> 00:30:13,418 But actually they're being transported 575 00:30:13,585 --> 00:30:15,335 with these beings to other realms. 576 00:30:17,168 --> 00:30:19,876 SHATNER: Could strange creatures really be traveling 577 00:30:20,043 --> 00:30:23,585 to the Alaska Triangle from other realms? 578 00:30:23,751 --> 00:30:27,335 While such an idea may sound like a far-fetched fantasy, 579 00:30:27,460 --> 00:30:32,793 many researchers claim that it's entirely possible. 580 00:30:32,918 --> 00:30:34,501 Because scientists have discovered 581 00:30:34,585 --> 00:30:38,168 that there are numerous geological anomalies 582 00:30:38,251 --> 00:30:41,335 found throughout this mysterious area. 583 00:30:42,543 --> 00:30:45,210 The land in Alaska is extremely volatile. 584 00:30:45,335 --> 00:30:47,876 The U.S. Department of the Interior 585 00:30:48,043 --> 00:30:51,710 did a geological survey in the area 586 00:30:51,793 --> 00:30:54,085 and discovered negative magnetic anomalies 587 00:30:54,210 --> 00:30:56,126 that are prevalent in the area. 588 00:30:57,335 --> 00:30:59,918 They can wreak havoc with guidance systems, 589 00:31:00,043 --> 00:31:02,793 compasses, all kinds of electronic equipment 590 00:31:02,918 --> 00:31:05,710 that can cause planes and other vessels 591 00:31:05,876 --> 00:31:08,126 to go missing or crash. 592 00:31:08,251 --> 00:31:11,710 And there are theories that these anomalies 593 00:31:11,876 --> 00:31:14,626 can spawn portals, 594 00:31:14,751 --> 00:31:17,293 these doorways into other dimensions. 595 00:31:18,918 --> 00:31:21,251 SHATNER: While geological activity in Alaska 596 00:31:21,376 --> 00:31:24,418 is known to cause magnetic anomalies, 597 00:31:24,543 --> 00:31:28,543 could it also be creating portals in this area, 598 00:31:28,626 --> 00:31:30,835 as some believe? 599 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,876 At the moment, we can't say for sure. 600 00:31:34,001 --> 00:31:36,668 But one thing is certain-- 601 00:31:36,751 --> 00:31:40,543 hundreds, if not thousands, of people 602 00:31:40,668 --> 00:31:45,668 continue to mysteriously disappear in the Alaska Triangle 603 00:31:45,751 --> 00:31:47,293 every year. 604 00:31:49,543 --> 00:31:51,418 As strange as it seems, there are those 605 00:31:51,543 --> 00:31:54,876 who are convinced that energy portals 606 00:31:55,001 --> 00:31:58,293 are actually responsible for many disappearances 607 00:31:58,418 --> 00:32:01,918 in the Alaska Triangle, and some researchers claim 608 00:32:02,043 --> 00:32:03,710 that there could be an entire network 609 00:32:03,835 --> 00:32:09,460 of these interdimensional hotspots all over the world. 610 00:32:19,418 --> 00:32:23,210 SHATNER: A Japanese research vessel named Kaiyo Maru No. 5 611 00:32:23,335 --> 00:32:26,376 leaves harbor to conduct scientific tests 612 00:32:26,543 --> 00:32:28,293 of the ocean floor. 613 00:32:29,751 --> 00:32:31,960 But shortly into the voyage, 614 00:32:32,085 --> 00:32:33,835 the Japanese Navy orders the ship to help 615 00:32:33,918 --> 00:32:37,710 investigate reports of numerous fishing boats 616 00:32:37,835 --> 00:32:42,543 going missing in the ocean just south of mainland Japan. 617 00:32:44,085 --> 00:32:47,918 The Japanese government sent out nine scientists 618 00:32:48,085 --> 00:32:51,460 and 22 other crew members on Kaiyo Maru No. 5 619 00:32:51,585 --> 00:32:54,501 to discover what was happening to these missing vessels. 620 00:32:56,001 --> 00:32:57,668 But within a couple hours, 621 00:32:57,751 --> 00:33:00,501 all contact with the ship was lost, 622 00:33:00,626 --> 00:33:04,626 and all they ever found of their investigative vessel 623 00:33:04,751 --> 00:33:08,001 were some remnants of the ship floating in the water. 624 00:33:09,001 --> 00:33:11,251 No bodies were ever found. 625 00:33:12,751 --> 00:33:16,126 COLLINS: When the Kaiyo Maru No. 5 626 00:33:16,251 --> 00:33:21,043 went missing without a trace in the very same area, 627 00:33:21,168 --> 00:33:24,168 this convinced the Japanese government 628 00:33:24,251 --> 00:33:28,376 that this region was so dangerous to ship in 629 00:33:28,501 --> 00:33:32,001 that it should be avoided at all costs. 630 00:33:34,126 --> 00:33:36,251 SHATNER: Technically, the area of the Pacific Ocean 631 00:33:36,418 --> 00:33:38,376 located directly south of Japan 632 00:33:38,501 --> 00:33:41,710 is referred to as the Philippine Sea. 633 00:33:41,793 --> 00:33:44,210 But for centuries it has been known 634 00:33:44,335 --> 00:33:47,126 by another, more infamous nickname-- 635 00:33:47,251 --> 00:33:50,543 the Dragon's Triangle. 636 00:33:50,668 --> 00:33:55,210 The Dragon's Triangle, also known as the Devil's Sea, 637 00:33:55,335 --> 00:33:59,876 is an area between Japan in the north, 638 00:34:00,001 --> 00:34:01,960 the Philippines in the south, 639 00:34:02,085 --> 00:34:05,626 and the island of Guam in the east, 640 00:34:05,751 --> 00:34:09,376 and it's somewhere that for many hundreds of years 641 00:34:09,460 --> 00:34:12,460 has been considered one of the most dangerous places 642 00:34:12,585 --> 00:34:14,710 on Earth. 643 00:34:14,835 --> 00:34:18,251 KAKU: There's mythology about the Dragon's Triangle 644 00:34:18,376 --> 00:34:22,085 going back to the year 1275, 645 00:34:22,210 --> 00:34:25,210 when the Mongol hordes invaded Japan. 646 00:34:25,376 --> 00:34:27,376 At that point, it looks as if Japan 647 00:34:27,543 --> 00:34:30,376 was gonna be overwhelmed by the Mongols. 648 00:34:30,501 --> 00:34:34,418 But then a tremendous wind destroyed the fleet 649 00:34:34,543 --> 00:34:37,251 of the Mongols, and the Japanese 650 00:34:37,376 --> 00:34:39,626 called it God's Wind... 651 00:34:40,710 --> 00:34:43,043 ...because it destroyed the Mongol fleet 652 00:34:43,210 --> 00:34:46,001 about to invade Japan. 653 00:34:46,126 --> 00:34:48,876 Perhaps it was nothing more than typhoons 654 00:34:49,001 --> 00:34:51,501 that suddenly erupted, drowning ships. 655 00:34:51,585 --> 00:34:54,210 But some people think that perhaps 656 00:34:54,293 --> 00:34:56,168 all the disappearing of the ships 657 00:34:56,293 --> 00:35:00,168 is due to some mysterious spirit of some sort. 658 00:35:00,293 --> 00:35:03,001 And so this is a matter of legend 659 00:35:03,126 --> 00:35:05,376 that goes back thousands of years. 660 00:35:06,835 --> 00:35:08,876 SHATNER: Is the Dragon's Triangle 661 00:35:09,001 --> 00:35:11,085 merely the site of powerful typhoons 662 00:35:11,210 --> 00:35:14,168 that cause ships to sink? 663 00:35:15,501 --> 00:35:18,626 Or could there be something far more incredible going on? 664 00:35:22,751 --> 00:35:25,085 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining a theory 665 00:35:25,210 --> 00:35:27,960 which suggests that the Dragon's Triangle 666 00:35:28,085 --> 00:35:30,043 is directly connected 667 00:35:30,168 --> 00:35:34,501 to other mysterious triangular regions 668 00:35:34,585 --> 00:35:37,043 around the globe. 669 00:35:37,126 --> 00:35:39,710 NEWMAN: In 1972, Ivan T. Sanderson, 670 00:35:39,793 --> 00:35:43,751 who was a biologist and author, produced a paper called 671 00:35:43,876 --> 00:35:47,293 "The 12 Devil's Graveyards Around the World." 672 00:35:48,460 --> 00:35:51,876 And this caused a sensation because he noted 673 00:35:52,001 --> 00:35:54,668 that places like the Bermuda Triangle 674 00:35:54,793 --> 00:35:59,376 and the Dragon's Triangle, or the Devil's Sea, 675 00:35:59,543 --> 00:36:03,376 were part of this global system marking ten points 676 00:36:03,543 --> 00:36:06,460 on the surface of the Earth 677 00:36:06,585 --> 00:36:09,168 where strange occurrences kept happening. 678 00:36:10,251 --> 00:36:12,585 COLLINS: Sanderson predicted that the Earth 679 00:36:12,751 --> 00:36:17,876 was covered by a series of what he referred to 680 00:36:18,001 --> 00:36:20,501 as "vile vortices." 681 00:36:21,585 --> 00:36:25,543 Five of these were located in a latitude 682 00:36:25,710 --> 00:36:30,376 known as the Tropic of Cancer on the north of the Equator, 683 00:36:30,501 --> 00:36:33,876 and five of them were to the south of the Equator 684 00:36:34,001 --> 00:36:35,876 on the Tropic of Capricorn. 685 00:36:36,043 --> 00:36:37,543 And the remaining two 686 00:36:37,668 --> 00:36:40,210 were at the North Pole and the South Pole. 687 00:36:40,335 --> 00:36:44,543 And these were locations around the world 688 00:36:44,668 --> 00:36:48,751 where there were disappearances of vessels 689 00:36:48,876 --> 00:36:53,668 and other strange occurrences on a regular basis. 690 00:36:55,585 --> 00:36:57,960 SHATNER: Many researchers find Ivan T. Sanderson's theory 691 00:36:58,085 --> 00:36:59,710 to be compelling, 692 00:36:59,835 --> 00:37:03,793 even if not every mysterious triangular area 693 00:37:03,918 --> 00:37:05,751 reported to exist on the planet 694 00:37:05,918 --> 00:37:07,876 is located in a vile vortice. 695 00:37:09,585 --> 00:37:12,126 And they claim that the pattern he discovered 696 00:37:12,251 --> 00:37:15,918 suggests that the disappearances within these areas 697 00:37:16,085 --> 00:37:20,543 may be due to vast global forces. 698 00:37:20,710 --> 00:37:22,418 When we're looking at these locations 699 00:37:22,543 --> 00:37:24,251 of these triangles that are placed 700 00:37:24,376 --> 00:37:26,376 at specific points around the planet, 701 00:37:26,460 --> 00:37:30,710 we are looking at things like gravitational anomalies, 702 00:37:30,835 --> 00:37:33,376 instrument malfunctions, 703 00:37:33,460 --> 00:37:36,293 magnetic anomalies, 704 00:37:36,418 --> 00:37:38,293 and many other strange occurrences, 705 00:37:38,418 --> 00:37:40,710 all within these specific triangles. 706 00:37:40,876 --> 00:37:44,501 So we have to question, is there a deeper mystery here 707 00:37:44,585 --> 00:37:46,918 that we don't yet fully understand? 708 00:37:49,251 --> 00:37:52,751 If pockets of unstable energy 709 00:37:52,876 --> 00:37:56,460 are causing bizarre vanishings around the globe, 710 00:37:56,585 --> 00:37:59,001 then it naturally begs the question, 711 00:37:59,126 --> 00:38:01,501 what could be powering them? 712 00:38:01,626 --> 00:38:04,585 Well, according to one extraordinary theory, 713 00:38:04,751 --> 00:38:08,376 the source may be an enormous crystal 714 00:38:08,460 --> 00:38:10,710 embedded within the Earth. 715 00:38:14,418 --> 00:38:16,460 SHATNER: Bermuda, Michigan, 716 00:38:16,585 --> 00:38:20,210 Nevada, Alaska, Japan-- 717 00:38:20,376 --> 00:38:22,501 countless ships, planes, and lives 718 00:38:22,626 --> 00:38:25,085 have been lost in these areas. 719 00:38:25,210 --> 00:38:26,918 So many, in fact, that some people 720 00:38:27,085 --> 00:38:30,293 refer to them collectively as the Devil's Triangles. 721 00:38:31,751 --> 00:38:33,585 Is it possible that all of these areas 722 00:38:33,710 --> 00:38:38,210 are somehow connected, as many researchers believe? 723 00:38:38,293 --> 00:38:40,668 Perhaps a clue can be found with a theory 724 00:38:40,751 --> 00:38:44,543 which proposes that the nature of the Earth itself 725 00:38:44,668 --> 00:38:49,835 may be far different from what we commonly think. 726 00:38:51,376 --> 00:38:53,585 DAVID STEVENSON: There is a theory that the Earth 727 00:38:53,751 --> 00:38:56,543 early in its history had a core 728 00:38:56,668 --> 00:38:59,668 that was completely liquid but was cooling. 729 00:39:00,626 --> 00:39:02,710 And as it cools, there would come a point 730 00:39:02,835 --> 00:39:06,543 where the center of the Earth would crystallize. 731 00:39:06,668 --> 00:39:09,501 And if you keep growing that crystal, 732 00:39:09,585 --> 00:39:12,710 it's very likely to become polycrystalline, 733 00:39:12,835 --> 00:39:14,876 meaning that there's lots of crystals. 734 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:17,376 And so, over a period of billions of years, 735 00:39:17,543 --> 00:39:19,876 you end up with something that is a solid 736 00:39:20,001 --> 00:39:24,376 in a region of the Earth consisting of many crystals. 737 00:39:25,585 --> 00:39:26,626 MICHAEL DENNIN: When you're looking at the center 738 00:39:26,751 --> 00:39:28,376 of the Earth being a crystal, 739 00:39:28,543 --> 00:39:31,168 crystals have facets on their surface. 740 00:39:31,293 --> 00:39:33,168 And, really, crystals are also known 741 00:39:33,293 --> 00:39:34,543 for storing energy, 742 00:39:34,710 --> 00:39:36,376 and their different facets and points 743 00:39:36,543 --> 00:39:37,793 will have different levels of energy. 744 00:39:37,918 --> 00:39:41,710 This is certainly part of why we have anomalies 745 00:39:41,835 --> 00:39:44,168 on the Earth's surface, and why they vary 746 00:39:44,293 --> 00:39:45,918 around the surface of the Earth. 747 00:39:47,168 --> 00:39:48,793 SHATNER: Is the center of the Earth 748 00:39:48,918 --> 00:39:53,460 really a giant crystal filled with energy? 749 00:39:53,585 --> 00:39:56,876 According to some scientists, it's a distinct possibility. 750 00:39:58,585 --> 00:40:00,585 And there are those who believe that if the Earth 751 00:40:00,751 --> 00:40:03,418 really has a crystal core, 752 00:40:03,543 --> 00:40:05,668 it might explain why some areas of the planet 753 00:40:05,793 --> 00:40:08,876 are home to mysterious disappearances 754 00:40:09,001 --> 00:40:11,668 and strange phenomena. 755 00:40:14,293 --> 00:40:17,876 NEWMAN: In the early 1970s, three Russian scientists 756 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,585 produced a paper called "Is the Earth a Large Crystal?" 757 00:40:21,751 --> 00:40:24,543 They believed that this angular crystal 758 00:40:24,668 --> 00:40:27,251 could have actually been at the center of the Earth, 759 00:40:27,418 --> 00:40:31,043 and they believed that the energetic signatures 760 00:40:31,210 --> 00:40:35,876 of the points of this crystal could be witnessed energetically 761 00:40:36,001 --> 00:40:38,918 and noted on the Earth's surface. 762 00:40:40,001 --> 00:40:41,876 SHATNER: Incredibly, the study revealed 763 00:40:42,043 --> 00:40:44,085 that the points of the hypothetical crystal 764 00:40:44,210 --> 00:40:47,918 aligned with many of the so-called Devil's Triangles 765 00:40:48,085 --> 00:40:49,543 around the globe. 766 00:40:49,626 --> 00:40:53,043 It would seem that electromagnetic phenomena 767 00:40:53,126 --> 00:40:57,335 is present that seems to mark out this grid, 768 00:40:57,418 --> 00:41:01,085 and that it is at such locations 769 00:41:01,251 --> 00:41:05,501 where these disappearances and vanishes occur, 770 00:41:05,585 --> 00:41:10,710 and therefore they are seen as dangerous locations, 771 00:41:10,793 --> 00:41:14,585 places where human beings, where human life can be lost. 772 00:41:15,585 --> 00:41:17,918 We need to get to grips with these ideas 773 00:41:18,043 --> 00:41:20,751 if ever we want to start understanding 774 00:41:20,918 --> 00:41:25,418 the disappearances and crashes and similar incidents 775 00:41:25,543 --> 00:41:28,710 taking place in such places. 776 00:41:32,335 --> 00:41:33,668 So, what do you think? 777 00:41:33,793 --> 00:41:35,668 Are there strange forces on our planet 778 00:41:35,751 --> 00:41:39,210 that cause people to simply vanish without a trace? 779 00:41:39,293 --> 00:41:41,793 It's a hard concept to prove, but what's undeniable 780 00:41:41,918 --> 00:41:44,585 is that certain areas seem to swallow up 781 00:41:44,751 --> 00:41:46,251 those who enter them. 782 00:41:46,376 --> 00:41:49,710 And so, until science can provide us 783 00:41:49,793 --> 00:41:52,043 with more answers, it's probably best 784 00:41:52,210 --> 00:41:56,210 to avoid these mysterious places 785 00:41:56,335 --> 00:41:58,043 and allow them to remain... 786 00:41:59,501 --> 00:42:01,376 ...unexplained. 787 00:42:01,543 --> 00:42:03,585 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS