What shape is the world in?

From: Carl Fink <carlf_at_panix.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 12:36:31 -0500 (EST)


Stephen Martin:

> I'm sorry, I don't understand this. It almost sounds liek you are saying
> that it is a 19th Century myth, that most of the people of the world
> believed the world was flat a few centuries ago.

Correct. He's right: the world was known to be round long before the English language evolved -- the ancient Greeks knew it. In the 1800s, the myth that Bible-influenced scholars thought the world flat and opposed Columbus' voyage on that basis became popular. In fact, scholars knew perfectly well that they lived on a ball, but (correctly) thought Asia was much further away than Columbus could sail.
- --
Carl Fink carlf_at_dm.net
Manager, Dueling Modems Computer Forum
<http://dm.net>


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