One of the most common questions Flat Earthers hear is “Why haven’t we fallen off the edge?” Flat Earthers believe that Antarctica forms an ice wall around the edge of the Earth that keeps the water in and keeps us from falling off. Other observations like Rowbotham’s such as our inability to see the earth’s curvature and to feel the earth’s rotation have led people to believe the earth is not round.Įxplaining the evidence supporting a round earth model to a Flat Earther is no simple task.

When Rowbotham was able to see the sailboat after it had traveled well over six miles, he claimed that the earth must be flat. Rowbotham believed that after the sailboat had traveled six miles from him, he would no longer be able to see the boat because of the curvature of the earth.

English writer and inventor Samuel Birley Rowbotham conducted a series of experiments in which he observed a sailboat traveling down a six-mile length of the Old Bedford River to measure the earth’s curvature. One of the most famous pieces of evidence supporting the Flat Earth theory is the Bedford Level experiment. The Flat Earth theory contains several supporting experiments, observations, and sub-theories that refute common arguments for a round earth. The recent growth of the Flat Earth community has left many who believe the “round earth hoax,” as Flat Earthers call it, confused as to how such a large group could dismiss the science. Therefore, Earth’s land masses lie flat on the same plane. In case you are unfamiliar with the Flat Earth theory, it is the conspiracy that the earth is not a globe, but instead a flat disk. However, despite an abundance of scientific evidence, the befuddling Flat Earth theory continues to attract more followers.

Since the Hellenistic period, humans have known that the earth is indeed spherical.

Why is the earth flat