Charles Berlitz
Encyclopedia
Charles Frambach Berlitz (November 20, 1914 – December 18, 2003) was an American linguist
and language teacher known for his books on anomalous phenomena, as well as his language-learning courses. He is listed in The People's Almanac as one of the fifteen most eminent linguists in the world.
. He was the grandson of Maximilien (Maximilian) Berlitz
, who founded the Berlitz Language Schools. As a child, Charles was raised in a household in which (by his father's orders) every relative and servant spoke to Charles in a different language: he reached adolescence speaking eight languages fluently. In adulthood, he recalled having had the childhood delusion that every human being spoke a different language, and wondering why he did not have his own language like everyone else in his household. His father spoke to him in German, his grandfather in Russian, his nanny in Spanish.
He began working for the family language school, The Berlitz School of Languages, during college breaks. The publishing house, of which he was vice president, sold, among other things, tourist phrase books and pocket dictionaries, several of which he authored. He also played a key role in developing record and tape language courses. He left the company in the late 1960s, not long after he sold the company to publishing firm Crowell, Collier & Macmillan. He graduated magna cum laude
from Yale University
.
Berlitz was a writer on anomalous phenomena, he wrote a number of books on Atlantis
. In his book The Mystery of Atlantis, he used evidence from geophysics
, psychic studies, classical literature, tribal lore, archeology and mysteries and concluded that Atlantis was real. Berlitz also linked the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle
to the influence of Atlantis.After studying evidence, Berlitz located Atlantis undersea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Berlitz was also an ancient astronaut proponent who believed that extraterrestrials had visited earth.
Berlitz spent 13 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, mostly in intelligence. In 1950, he married Valerie Seary, with whom he had a daughter, Lynn. He died in 2003 at the age of 89 at University Hospital in Tamarac, Florida.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and language teacher known for his books on anomalous phenomena, as well as his language-learning courses. He is listed in The People's Almanac as one of the fifteen most eminent linguists in the world.
Life
Berlitz was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was the grandson of Maximilien (Maximilian) Berlitz
Maximilian Berlitz
Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz was a linguist and the founder of the Berlitz Language Schools, the first of which he established in 1878 in Providence, Rhode Island....
, who founded the Berlitz Language Schools. As a child, Charles was raised in a household in which (by his father's orders) every relative and servant spoke to Charles in a different language: he reached adolescence speaking eight languages fluently. In adulthood, he recalled having had the childhood delusion that every human being spoke a different language, and wondering why he did not have his own language like everyone else in his household. His father spoke to him in German, his grandfather in Russian, his nanny in Spanish.
He began working for the family language school, The Berlitz School of Languages, during college breaks. The publishing house, of which he was vice president, sold, among other things, tourist phrase books and pocket dictionaries, several of which he authored. He also played a key role in developing record and tape language courses. He left the company in the late 1960s, not long after he sold the company to publishing firm Crowell, Collier & Macmillan. He graduated magna cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Berlitz was a writer on anomalous phenomena, he wrote a number of books on Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
. In his book The Mystery of Atlantis, he used evidence from geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
, psychic studies, classical literature, tribal lore, archeology and mysteries and concluded that Atlantis was real. Berlitz also linked the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
to the influence of Atlantis.After studying evidence, Berlitz located Atlantis undersea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Berlitz was also an ancient astronaut proponent who believed that extraterrestrials had visited earth.
Berlitz spent 13 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, mostly in intelligence. In 1950, he married Valerie Seary, with whom he had a daughter, Lynn. He died in 2003 at the age of 89 at University Hospital in Tamarac, Florida.
Anomalous phenomena
- The Mystery of Atlantis (1969)
- Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds (1972)
- The Bermuda TriangleThe Bermuda Triangle (book)The Bermuda Triangle is a best-selling 1974 book by Charles Berlitz which popularized the belief of the Bermuda Triangle as an area of ocean prone to disappearing ships and airplanes...
(1974) ISBN 0-285-63326-0 - Without a Trace (1977)
- The Philadelphia ExperimentPhiladelphia ExperimentThe Philadelphia Experiment is the name of an alleged naval military experiment said to have been carried out at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA sometime around October 28, 1943. It is alleged that the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge was to be rendered...
- Project Invisibility (1979) - The Roswell Incident (1980)
- Doomsday 1999 A.D. (1981) ISBN 0-586-05543-6.
- Atlantis - The Eighth Continent (G. P. Putnams Sons., New York, 1984)
- Atlantis: the lost continent revealed, Macmillan, London, 1984
- The Lost Ship of Noah: In Search of the Ark at Ararat (1987)
- The Dragon's Triangle (1989)
- World of Strange Phenomena (Little Brown & Company, New York, 1995)