10 Popular History Myths (You Probably Believe)

7. Medieval People Thought That Earth Was Flat

Napoleon Height 2
Wikipedia

What a wildly pervasive crock this one is. Pair this entry with the last, and you'll a very distinct shared theme: the propensity of people in the modern day to paint medieval people as backwards, uncivilized, and ignorant.

Here's the crock: before Christopher Columbus set sail across the ocean blue, the people of Europe believed wholeheartedly that the world was flat, and that he'd sail right over the edge should he go too far. Doesn't that just reek of propaganda and mythmaking?

This myth was perpetuated in part to denigrate the Catholic Church, painting it as hostile towards scientific thought. In reality, though, the ancient Greeks were well aware that the Earth is spherical. Aristotle, Pythagoras, Euclid, and Ptolemy all wrote about the Earth being round. Additionally, medieval sailors knew better, because when, say, a mountain would come into sight, its peak would be the first thing over the horizon, indicating some degree of planetary curvature.

The belief in a flat Earth persists today, with some of the world's greatest scientific minds advocating for it, like rapper B.o.B., and washed-up reality TV star and neo-Nazi darling Tila Tequila. There are probably more people that think Earth is flat in 2021 than there were in 1421. Maybe we're the idiots.

Contributor

Dustin is your friendly neighborhood historian, nerd culture enthusiast, and professional wise-ass. Some of his favorite pastimes include writing, philosophizing, and antagonizing stupid people.