What is "black triangle"

n. 1 (&lit black triangle English) 2 (context ufology English) One of a class of triangle-shaped unidentified flying objects, usually with a light in each corner.

Black triangle may refer to one of the following:

• Black triangle (badge), a Nazi concentration camp badge worn by inmates deemed "asocial"
• Black triangle (pharmacology), suffixed to the trade name of a British medicine indicates the drug (or its mode of use) is new
• Black Triangle (region), the nickname for one of Europe's most polluted areas, where Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet
• Black triangle (UFO), a type of UFO sighting
• Black triangle symbol of lesbian or feminist pride and solidarity
• Black triangle, in Unicode Geometric Shapes (e.g.: ▼ ◀ ◣) special code for printing a variety of shapes including various black triangles
• The nickname given to the triangular area south of Montreal worst affected by a long term blackout during the North American ice storm of 1998
• The first-edition series of audio CDs released by Toshiba-EMI, noted for their sound fidelity and referred to as "black triangle" editions after the design featured on the CD silkscreen.1

Black triangles are a class of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, with certain common features which have reportedly been observed during the 20th and 21st centuries. Media reports of black triangles originally came from the United States and United Kingdom. The aircraft may be related to the rumored USAF Aurora aircraft developmental program.

Reports generally describe this class of UFOs as large, silent, black triangular objects hovering or slowly cruising at low altitudes over cities and highways. Sightings usually take place at night. These objects are often described as having pulsing colored lights that appear at each corner of the triangle.

Black triangle UFOs have been reported to be visible to radar, as was the case with the famous Belgian UFO wave. During these incidents, two Belgian F-16s attempted to intercept the objects (getting a successful missile lock at two occasions) only to be outmaneuvered; a key conclusion of the Project Condign report was that no attempt should be made on the part of civilian or RAF Air Defence aircraft to outmaneuver these objects except to place them astern to mitigate the risk of collision.

The black triangle was a badge used in Nazi concentration camps to mark prisoners as "asocial" or "arbeitsscheu" ( work-shy). It was later adopted as a lesbian or feminist symbol of pride and solidarity, on the assumption that the Nazis included lesbians in the "asocial" category. More recently it has been adopted by UK disabled people's organisations responding to increasing press allegations that disabled benefit recipients are workshy.

A black triangle appearing after the trade name of a British medicine (or vaccine) indicates that the medication is new to the market, or that an existing medicine (or vaccine) is being used for a new reason or by a new route of administration.

Examples of how it might appear:

• NewDrugTradeName
• NewDrugTradeName▼

The black triangle also highlights the need for surveillance of any Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) that might arise from the use of a new medication. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) encourage anyone to voluntarily report ADRs (however minor) via the Yellow Card Scheme to gather more information and gain more understanding of a new medication.

After a new medicine (or vaccine) has been brought to the market there is still a lot that can be learned about the drug from its widespread use. Similarly, if an existing drug is being used in a situation where it was not used before or if it is being given by a different route of administration much can still be learned about its new or modified use.

The black triangle label generally stays with the new drug (or new use of an existing drug) for at least 5 years, when it is reviewed, and after this time the black triangle label may or may not be discontinued.

The Black Triangle (German Schwarzes Dreieck) is a border region shared by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, long characterized by extremely high levels of pollution. The term was coined in the 1980s. For decades, industrially produced air pollutants (chiefly sulfur dioxide), water pollution, acid rain and other effects took an enormous toll on the health of local residents and the surrounding environment.

After the Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, the three nations acted to cut emissions. This has resulted in significant environmental improvement.