Earth Is Round

Present day we know the Earth is round. We have orbiting satellites that can circle the entire earth in less than two hours. We did not always have this luxury of satellites but throughout history many have believed that the Earth was round while many other people believed it to be flat. This was until it was proven to a sphere that circled the Sun.

Many years ago many based their beliefs that the Earth was round based

their observations.

Pythagoras around five

hundred B.C. noticed the distance of the heavenly bodies at different various from Earth. He noticed when a ship appeared on the horizon the top of the mast came into view first and then the sails and finally the ship.

Aristotle noticed that the Earth's shadow on the moon was round around three hundred B.C.

The period known as the Dark Ages to us was around four hundred and twelve hundred AD and most of the people's thoughts during this time were based on religion or superstition and not what they observed. During this time maps were centered around Jerusalem which they thought was the center of the Earth.

Once we started to enter the next age which is known as the Age of Discovery many tools were developed that help change people's beliefs. One such tool was the printing press which enabled production, circulation, and refinement of maps. Many of these maps were used to map directions, claim land, and to discover new lands and routes. Ferdinand Magellan's crew was the first to prove the earth is round when they travel the entire earth on their three year journey.