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Question: Until what date did people believe the Earth was flat!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
As far as the common mass of people, it is quite possible that some still believe it!.

The Greeks demonstrated the world is round!. Evidence includes that ships sailing away drop below the horizon (the Greeks were great sailors), the shadow of the earth on the moon during a lunar eclipse is always round, stars appear and disappear as you go north or south, etc!. The controversy came about because Eratosthenes measured the earth's diameter to be 24,000 miles (pretty accurate) but that would mean that the Greeks knew about only 1/8 of the world!. Some other mathemeticians juggled the numbers and came up with a diameter of 18,000 miles, or what it would be if the Pacific Ocean and the Americas did not exist!. Columbus believed the smaller figure, and actually demonstrated that it is better to be lucky than right!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Around the time of columbus, ppl were getting the idea it might not be flat!. It wasn't until Magellan's trip, that it was proven round!. Several ancient societies or at least certain ppl in ancient times thought the Earth was round!. The first globe was made in turkey by Crates of Mallus in 150 BCE! The Christian (Catholic) church is largely responsible for suppressing any ideas of a round Earth throughout the middle ages in Europe!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Eratosthenes helped to prove that the world was round!. He also measured the circumference of the earth and was fairly accurate to modern measurements!. What students learn in school about people thinking that the earth is flat is no more of a truth than George Washington and the cherry tree!. Any individual that received a proper education in the past two thousand years has been instructed that the earth is round!. Any educated person already knew this fact during the Age of Exploration!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

This depends on what you mean by "people"!. I am sure there are some people that still believe the world is flat! One of them might be John McCain, but I digress!.

Even the ancient Greeks hypothesized about the shape of the world, and you probably recall the fears of many expressed repeatedly during the age of exploration (1400-1700 AD)!. I would say that after Magellan's historic circumnavigation of the globe, it was finally "proven", and more and more people started to believe that the world wasn't flat, but even now there are probably thousands and thousands of people who have never heard of Magellan and are free to believe as they wish!.!.!.!.and I would assume many of these people still think the world is flat!.
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This was a common belief until the Classical Greeks began to discuss the Earth's shape about the 4th century BC!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

What are you talking about ,,, WHEN did it become something else,,,huhWww@QuestionHome@Com

Isn't it flat!? Pity, I was curious about the sex of the turtle!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

What year is it in Texas!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

WHAT!?!?!?
Don't tell me it isn't!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com