Talk:Charles Berlitz

normal explanations

"he offered normal explanations for anomalous phenomena"? That's a new one. Can you name a few? --Hob Gadling July 4, 2005 22:40 (UTC)

That particular phrase was taken from another encyclopedia. We can do better than that.DanielDemaret 10:16, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Nothing. Aha. --Hob Gadling 16:53, July 14, 2005 (UTC)

I can see how that might be misinterpreted. "well known alleged anomalous phenomena" might be better?DanielDemaret 09:32, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

article not objective

"Many of the "facts" cited in his books are highly questionable." I think this sentence reflects the opinion of the author. I have a completely different opinion, so I think that this sentence should be modified or removed, because it's not "neutral". Luca - Italy

Better? :-) --Hob Gadling 10:46, July 27, 2005 (UTC)

"a brilliant linguist"

This article must be a joke. 1. A linguist is not somebody who speaks many languages. 2. Berlitz' "Native Tongues: The Book of Language Facts" doesn't betray his linguistic capacities, to put it mildly. It's just a pile of half-baked language-related pseudo-facts. Never saw a bigger list of nonsense, at least off-line.

Frank

That text was taken from a web dictionary a long time ago.DanielDemaret 11:51, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

It is true that it is not enough to speak many languages to be a linguist. However, he did write a books about linguistics and also about language teaching.DanielDemaret 09:30, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Just watched a ca. 1990 German-made documentary on "Atlantis" on German TV featuring Mr Berlitz and found it astounding that the master of 32 languages wasn´t able or willing to speak German, but relied on his native tongue. Strange. --328cia (talk) 07:08, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Reference.com

There are many reviews of his books in reference.com, if anyone is interested DanielDemaret 10:18, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Criticism

Wow. This article's a corker. As a big fan of Wikipedia, & regular reader, I've yet to come across such an involuble junk-piece. The writing is god-awful (too many flaws to list), and the writer is inexcusably light/sympathetic to Berlitz's failings. A glib reference to Berlitz's quip "my critics said I should have received the award for fiction" IS NOT sufficient reference to his casual relationship to the truth. Such insufficient reference to the substantive criticisms of Berlitz either reflect a poor writer and/or a Berlitz sympathiser. Come on. "The Bermuda Triangle" was the 70s' "Da Vinci Code". This article needs to be scrapped.

M

(above written by 124.168.76.208)

I have corrected/trimmed down som parts due to your partly correct criticism. Correction and improving the article is better than scrapping. However, the likeness to the "da vince code", I don't see, perhaps since I have read both books that you mention. For example, "The Bermuda Triangle" , like almost all of Berlitz books, lists different causes that other people have proposed, but keeps a boringly neutral stance to all proposals. Brown is more exciting, in sharp contrast, since he claims that all that he writes in "the da vinci code" is true.DanielDemaret 21:55, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Berlitz has been very influential

He has almost single handedly created two of the most enduring myths of the 20th century - the Bermuda Triangle and the Roswell Incident (though his crucial role in popularising the latter is strangely often forgotten). I think this deserves a mention. TharkunColl 08:10, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

As far as "the latter" (Roswell) goes, I would think that the contemporaneous newspaper accounts also played a role. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.163.65.9 (talk) 11:32, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

He made the myths a lot more well known, that should perhaps be mentioned. This goes for most of his books, not just the two you mentioned. At the same time he made strange structures in far away places better known. But since the myths clearly existed before he wrote the books, the word "created" would be a tad misleading. When it comes to the particular example of the Bermuda Triangle, he found out about it when helping people booking plane tickets. Nobody wanted a plane that crossed the area, and he decided to find out why this strange request appeared repeatedly. DanielDemaret 07:55, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

Charles Frambach Berlitz Genealogy

Charles Louis "Lewis" Frambach Berlitz was born named Charles Louis Frambach" His father was Charles Louis Frambach Born in Kaukauna, WI on 7/27/1880 and his mother was named Millicent Berlitz. They were married on 6/9/1909 in NYC where they lived. His father attended Columbia University and Majored in Mining as his father was involved in the gold mining business in Cripple Creek, Colorado from 1898 until 1904.

Charles Frambach Berlitz's Grandfather was named Henry Frambach and was a well known Capitalist who helped develop the Papermaking industry in the US making paper with Wood Pulp in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He had 14 Patents for several phases of the papermaking process with the first patent from 1879. He also ran for the US Congress in the late 1890's. His Civil war career included being a spy for the Union army and being captured and escaping several times.

His Great Grandfather was named Charles Augustus Frambach who according to biographies written in the late 1890's was also a well known linguist and professor. His Great Grandfather died and is buried in Racine, Wisconsin and his Grandfather died and is buried in Los Angeles, CA Tomdu 20:11, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Dag Hammarskjöld International Prize

This article is indeed a joke. I removed the silly 32 languages claim (unverified since December 2007). I also put a "citation needed" on the Dag Hammarskjöld International Prize. I haven't found any information about such a prize worth mentioning, and don't think there is. Hexmaster (talk) 19:11, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

This article needs major revision

This is a terrible article. I would remove the section regarding the People's Almanac, as it doesn't seem to be an actual credible source. Also, the whole thing needs to be rewritten to emphasize the fact that Atlantis and the Bermuda Triangle are simply conspiracy theories/folklore with no basis in reality, as any source will show. I'll check in in a few days and see what transpires, but as of now, I think I'll have to come back and gut this atrocious excuse for an article. Sources need to be provided for any claim about this subject. Jparenti (talk) 11:50, 8 February 2012 (UTC)

Please do! This article is crying out for some attention. — Mr. Stradivarius ^♫ 04:45, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

Date of birth: 22 November 1913 or 20 November 1914?

The article has said 20 November 1914 ever since 7 March 2004, but that edit came without any source.

When he died on 18 December 2003, both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times said he was aged 90. If that's accurate, it means he was born no later than 18 December 1913. The NY Times also gave his year of birth as 1913.

There are plenty of google hits for 22 November 1913. There are also now plenty of hits for 20 November 1914, but 8 years down the track, how many of these are Wikipedia mirrors? Most if not all, I would suggest.

This seems to be an independent genealogical source for 22 November 1913. This gives his Social Security number and date of birth 22 November 1913 (although it does get his death date wrong – 11 December rather than 18 December).

Comments? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 04:07, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

I reckon 10 months is enough time for comments. I've made the above change. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 12:12, 5 October 2013 (UTC)