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Who Discovered The Earth is Round?

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Author Topic: Who Discovered The Earth is Round?  (Read 710 times)
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Deborah Valkenburg
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« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2011, 11:41:54 pm »



(Image credit: U.S. Military, White Sands Naval Base, New Mexico.)

Once we knew the shape and size of the Earth -- from about 240 B.C. -- we were able to figure out all sorts of remarkable things, including the size of and distance to the Moon! So give the credit where credit is due, to Eratosthenes, for discovering the Earth was round, and performing the first accurate calculation of its size!

If there's anything Columbus should be known for, as respects the size and shape of the Earth, it was using unrealistically low numbers for the circumference of the Earth! His estimates, that he used to convince others that one could sail from Europe directly to India (were the Americas non-existant), were absurdly small! Had the Americas not existed, he and his crew surely would have starved before reaching Asia!

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2011/09/who_discovered_the_earth_is_ro.php?utm_source=mostactive&utm_medium=link
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Skepticism is good, but when you reach a certain level where
you're grasping at straws and making little sense... it's not
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