Those who believe that the world is flat cover a broad spectrum of the population. Even amongst the true believers, there will be disagreements over some points. This is how true scientific progress is made; we look at the evidence, develop theories to explain what we see, and then test to verify or refute those ideas.
On this path, there will be some wrong turns. Some keep going instead of turning around. In your research you may find some ideas that don’t seem right. That’s fine. You don’t have to accept everything that is written regarding flat earth theory, or anything else for that matter.
This is independent thinking. Your submissions are welcome.
Many years ago someone decided that the world was round, a type of sphere floating in space. Somehow that became the accepted norm. But we all know that the world is flat. How can it be curved in the way they say and yet we all still move about, water doesn’t fall off, it looks and feels flat. Granted there are hills and valleys, but that is not what we mean. Here are the top ten proofs that the earth is flat.
If the world is a globe, then any large body of water must be slightly convex, to allow for the curvature of the earth. The Bedford Canal is a long, narrow canal in the county of Norfolk, England. It has an uninterrupted straight stretch of 6 miles (9.7 km). Over this distance, the middle should be 20ft (6m) higher than a straight line connecting each end.
A series of experiments, first conducted in 1838, have proven that this is flat. Flags at mile intervals were all found to be in line. A telescope at one end could easily read a target at the other end. Recently, a laser beam at water level reached the opposite end without the curved water interrupting its path.
If the world is round, then the water surface must be curved as well.
The earth is a type of disc that is surrounded on all sides by an ice wall that stops the oceans from falling off. Explorers named the ice wall Antarctica. As far as we know no one has ever been beyond the ice wall and returned to tell us what is beyond. Rumours abound, a popular one is that there is another continent there and another that it is just space and nothingness. What we do know for sure is that the ice wall encircles the earth in a way that works to hold our oceans in place on the earth. The ice wall also serves to protect us from whatever it is that lies beyond the ice wall. The problem is that NASA guards the wall and it is impossible for us to get close enough to explore using modern technology to prove once and for all that the ice wall goes all the way around the edge of the earth.
In California Monterey Bay is a fairly long bay next to the Pacific Ocean. The distance between the two extremes is just over 23 miles. When the day is clear and chilly it is possible to see one from the other. When you have a good telescope, laying down at the edge of the shore on one side so that the telescope is 20 inches above sea level you can see people at the edge of the water on the other side and the entire beach is visible and you can observe the water splashing on the shore. You can observe the children playing, running in and out of the water, people sunbathing, playing beach games and walking dogs.
If the earth was a sphere that is 24,900 English statue miles in circumference then all water would have a degree of convexity to form the arc of the circle. Scientists have worked out that from the summit curvature would be 8” over the first statue mile and over two miles the fall increased to 32” and so on.
Considering the height of 20” above sea level when looking at the beach more than 23 miles away there would have to be a bulge of water that obscured anything from view on the other beach that is below 300 feet above sea level. Yet, there isn’t. There is not a bulge of water at all.
Big Globe is the organisations that collaborate in the deceit that the world is a round sphere. Space agencies; travel companies; global manufactures and more. They all cash in on the belief that the world is round and reap rewards from the rest of us. Space travel is a hoax, all undertaken and filmed in a large hangar in Nevada. The big globe companies went to a lot of trouble and effort, not to mention expense to make all those fake film recordings to fool the majority of people. Now they have conspired to gain back that outlay and to help protect the secret of the other big globe organisations.
They say that the time zones prove that the earth is round and say they prove it to do with the travel of time related to the sun. Yet, if we consider the sun is significantly closer than they say not only does that disprove their shadow theories, but it also proves that time zones are created by the spotlight sun on the earth.
They say that the lunar eclipse proves the roundness of the earth, yet it is easy to demonstrate using basic kid’s science how it can also be made by a flat disk. In fact, we know it is made by the flat disk.
All the great ancient civilizations understood that the world was flat: Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, as well as India and China. The first heretic to propose the idea of a spherical world was Aristotle (384 B.C. to 322 B.C), although Pythagoras had suggested it a century earlier, based on aesthetics rather than science. Aristotle was well known for his philosophy, which sometimes was more dominant in his conclusions than scientific methods. For example, he taught that women had fewer teeth than men; without checking inside the mouths of either his first or second wife, or any other female subjects for that matter.
The modern movement rejects Aristotle’s stranger theories. The earth was flat in ancient times, and is still flat.
According to conventional science, the Earth has a circumference of 24,901 miles (40,075 km) at the Equator. At one rotation a day, the residents on the Equator are spinning at 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 kmh). The reason they aren’t being flung into space is apparently gravity compensates for this and keeps their feet on the ground.
Let’s look at someone standing at the North Pole. If they are 30ft (10m) from the pole, instead of travelling 24,901 miles (40,075 km) per day, they are crawling a total of 206ft (62.83m) each 24 hours. They are rotating at a snail’s pace of 8ft 6” (2.6m) per hour.
Gravitational force should be the same in both locations. Without the effect of extreme centrifugal force at the poles, shouldn’t there be a measurable difference? At the North pole, we should be crushed because the gravity is constant, and there is no centrifugal force to compensate.
Another way to test that the earth is indeed flat is to take a spirit level with you next time you fly in an airplane. This is because if the earth is spherical, then the nose of the plane will need to tip downwards slightly the whole flight once it’s taken off in order to remain the same distance from the earth. This is a simple experiment that anyone can do. Guess what?! When in flight the bubble remains central in the spirit level, meaning that the airplane is travelling flat.
As the sun sets on a clear day, simply watch the sun go down from sea level and once it has gone from view, move to a higher location and if the earth is curved you will see it set again. You need to choose your location carefully to make sure that you can get to the higher ground faster. Ideally start on a beach with a track up to the cliff top nearby and a 4 x 4 vehicle.
When the sun has vanished completely from view, jump into the 4x4 and go up to the top of the cliff, the sun would be visible again if the earth was a round sphere. But of course it’s not, so you cannot see the sun set again by going twenty or so feet higher.
So there you have just 10 of the many reasons why the earth is flat.
It can be easy to dismiss Flat Earthers as either uneducated or eccentrics living on the fringe. But it’s not that simple.
As you begin your own research, you may very well find theories that challenge what you have always accepted. And to be honest, some of the loudest exponents of Flat Earth theory may not pass a sanity test. Because there is no ‘Central Governing Body’, every opinion has the same democratic value. The only common belief amongst the Flat Earth community is that the world is flat, not a globe. The popular model has the Arctic circle at the center, with the Antarctic circle forming the outside edge of a disc shaped earth. Most believe that space travel, including the trips to the moon, are a hoax. The purpose of the conspiracy is to divert billions of tax dollars to space agencies (such as NASA) for corrupt governments to pocket.
Let’s look at the five main sub groups within the International Flat Earth Society.
Mainly Christians, but will also include Jews and Muslims who have a literal interpretation of Holy text. Many scriptures can be read to reinforce the idea of a flat earth. For true believers, faith in God is paramount; Flat Earth theory positions God as Creator instead of the universe being an accident of nature.
The founder of the modern Flat Earth Society was Dr Samuel Rowbotham (1816 - 1884). He was a medical doctor, and an inventor. His contemporaries and those who continued his work after his death, were well educated. They discovered and challenged flaws in the modern scientific dogma. Their approach is still used today.
This group may or may not actually believe in the Flat Earth theory. But they love a good argument. In the same way that a defence lawyer doesn’t care if the client is guilty – proving that the accused is innocent is all that matters. Their arguments can be compelling; even if their integrity is debatable.
Don’t trust anyone. Those in this group don’t trust the government, and can range from the mild to the extreme. Keep in mind that extremists consider themselves to be entirely reasonable; so any label will be subjective.
They may have started with the Moon Landing hoax, or may add it as they continue their research. A common quote is, “If the government lied to us about this, what else are they lying about?”
Some of the common conspiracies discussed include: Moon Landing, Area 51, JFK Assassination, Vaccinations, Chemtrails, GM Foods, Illuminati, Climate Change, 9/11 Cover-up and 5G.
Both sides of the argument have good points. It doesn’t mean that they agree with everything – they can’t all be right. Although they were taught in school that the world is a globe, the Flat Earthers ask questions that really make you think. They haven’t reached a final conclusion, and would like to know more.
From the moment man first looked to the heavens, he never doubted that the world was flat. What other possible explanation would make sense? There was no ‘flat earth movement’ or society. It was simply accepted. In that regard, the flat earth model has existed as knowledge since the dawn of time.
Today, we continue to use the terms ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’, which only make sense if the earth really is flat. If those who insist that the earth is a spinning globe rotating around the sun are serious, they should come up with a more suitable description of dawn and dusk.
The first heretic to propose the idea of a spherical world was Aristotle (384 B.C. to 322 B.C), although Pythagoras had suggested it a century earlier, based on aesthetics rather than science. Aristotle was well known for his philosophy, which sometimes was more dominant in his conclusions than scientific methods. For example, he taught that women had fewer teeth than men; without checking inside the mouths of either his first or second wife, or any other female subjects for that matter.
In subsequent centuries, and millennia, his writings were revered without being challenged. “In the past scientists did not use the scientific method we use today. For example, Aristotle was a great thinker in ancient Greece. He carefully observed and tried to check things for himself. But he also wrote things down that had not been proven by the kind of careful experiments scientists complete today. Sometimes Aristotle was wrong. But his work was so respected in Europe that 1,000 years later few people doubted what he had written. Until the 1500's, university students were not supposed to question what Aristotle and other ancient thinkers had written. They were just supposed to memorize it. Experimenting and checking things were simply not done. ” —Suzane Glass, Analyze This!: Understanding the Scientific Method
Other advanced societies had no cause to reject common knowledge. “… a spherical Earth is actually counterintuitive. It’s such a radical idea that it has been ‘discovered’ only once, in Athens after 400 BCE. The concept of the Earth being round didn’t appear in any other civilisation. India and the Islamic world learnt it from the Greeks, while China had to wait until the Jesuits arrived in the 16th century and turned the Chinese view of the Universe upside down. ” —Historian of science Dr. James Hannam, author of "God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science"
Later scientists simple repeated the same mistakes of the ancients.
The modern revival of flat earth science can be traced to the esteemed Dr Samuel Birley Rowbotham (1816 – 1884). He called his scientific method ‘ Zetetic Astronomy’. Zetetic means seeking, or proceeding by inquiry. For decades, he toured and presented at universities and halls throughout the English isles.
A newspaper of the day wrote this report: “ 'PARALLAX' AT THE LECTURE HALL.--This talented lecturer is again in Greenwich, rivetting the attention of his audiences, and compelling them to submit to the facts which he brings before them--we say submit, for this they do; it seems impossible for any one to battle with him, so powerful are the weapons he uses. Mathematicians argue with him at the conclusion of his lectures, but it would seem as though they held their weapons by the blade and fought with the handle, for sure enough they put the handle straight into the lecturer's hand, to their own utter discomfiture and chagrin. It remains yet to be seen whether any of our Royal Astronomers will have courage enough to meet him in discussion, or whether they will quietly allow him to give the death-blow to the Newtonian theory, and make converts of our townspeople to his own Zetetic philosophy. If 'Parallax' be wrong, for Heaven's sake let some of our Greenwich stars twinkle at the Hall, and dazzle, confound, or eclipse altogether this wandering one, who is turning men, all over England, out of the Newtonian path. 'Parallax' is making his hearers disgusted with the Newtonian and every other theory, and turning them to a consideration of facts and first principles, from which they know not how to escape. Again we beg and trust that some of our Royal Observatory gentlemen will try to save us, and prevent anything like a Zetetic epidemic prevailing amongst us. ” —Greenwich Free Press, May 19th, 1862.
After his death, Lady Elizabeth Blount founded the Universal Zetetic Society, and published the magazine, The Earth Not a Globe Review and a journal, Earth: a Monthly Magazine of Sense and Science, into the early 1900’s.
Meanwhile, the movement spread to the United States due to the efforts of William Carpenter (1830 – 1896). Carpenter was an English printer and author who supported Rowbotham’s work. He migrated to the United States where he wrote and lectured on the topic. He published Theoretical Astronomy Examined and Exposed – Proving the Earth not a Globe in eight parts from 1864 under the name Common Sense. In Baltimore, he published A hundred proofs the Earth is not a Globe in 1885.
In In 1956, Samuel Shenton renamed the Universal Zetetic Society as the International Flat Earth Research Society, running it as "organising secretary" from his home in Dover, England. Given Shenton's interest in alternative science and technology, the emphasis on religious arguments was less than in the original society. During his term, the space program began. When satellite images of the earth as a sphere were shown to him, he stated, “It’s easy to see how a photograph like that could fool the untrained eye.”
After Shenton died in 1971, leadership transferred to Charles K Johnson in California. He inherited part of Shenton’s library. He also ran the Covenant People’s Church. As a religious man, he based his beliefs on the Bible. He considered mainstream scientists to be part of the hoax. Under his direction, the membership grew to over 3,500 financial members.
Unfortunately, a house fire destroyed his membership records and valuable documents. Activity and interest largely subsided.
In 2004, the Flat Earth Society was relaunched by Daniel Shenton in London. It is mainly based online.
In 2021, Flat Earth Society International was established as a welcome home for both believers and skeptics.
Acknowledged as the founder of the Flat Earth Society, he published Zetetic Astronomy: The Earth not a Globe in 1864. He filled halls with his lectures, and was a skilled presenter.
He was a medical doctor and inventor.
He concluded that the earth is a flat disk centred at the North Pole. The outer edge is the Antarctica which is a wall of ice. The sun, moon, planets and stars are only a few thousand kilometres above the earth.
An English scientist of the Royal Academy, Hampden became a prominent follower of Rowbotham’s. Hampden was a Christian polemicist who entertained crowds as he debated scientists and astronomers. He founded the Truth-Seeker’s Oracle and Scriptural Science review in 1876. Unfortunately he was imprisoned after a lengthy legal dispute with a detractor, Alfred Wallace.
Carpenter was an English printer and author, who supported Rowbotham’s work. He migrated to the United States where he promoted the flat earth movement. He published Theoretical Astronomy Examined and Exposed – Proving the Earth not a Globe in eight parts from 1864 under the name Common Sense. In Baltimore, he published A hundred proofs the Earth is not a Globe in 1885.
Following the death of Rowbotham, Lady Blount founded the Universal Zetetic Society, which attracted thousands of followers. Her wealth and social standing provided her with significant influence amongst leaders in the army, universities, church and the aristocracy.
Shenton founded the International Flat Earth Research Society in 1956. He was elected a fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Geographical Society. He was a popular speaker, and considered to be quite convincing in his arguments. As satellites and space rockets began to be launched, he suggested the idea of a conspiracy by both the Russians and US space programs.
John Alexander Dowie
Christian Catholic Apostolic Church founder
Wilbur Glenn Voliva
From 1972 until his death, Johnson was the second president of the International Flat Earth Research Society. As a fundamentalist Christian, he claimed that the Bible taught that the earth was flat. Therefore, space travel was a fraud.
Under his leadership, the society’s membership grew to over 3,000 financial members. Unfortunately, a house fire destroyed much of the membership records and important documents.
Originally from Australia, she married Charles Johnson and moved to the United States. She acted as Secretary for the Flat Earth Society and was a prolific writer.
She was rather shocked when she arrived in the States and found people speaking of Australia as being 'down under.' It really offended her. She would get in quite heated arguments with people who seemed to accuse her of coming from down under the world. Ultimately, Marjory Johnson swore in an affidavit that she had never hung by her feet in Australia.
Please note:
YouTube has changed their policy regarding search results for ‘Flat Earth’. This decision helps to feed the conspiracy concerns experienced by those who hold non-mainstream beliefs.
YouTube demotes flat-earthers, conspiracy theorists (phys.org)
YouTube has made a policy decision to stop promoting flat-earth material in its search function. Previously, if you searched for flat earth videos, similar videos would be linked to assist in finding similar content. Now, videos that debunk flat-earth theory are fed into the suggested feed.
The world is flat