As the schoolboy version of history has it, in 1492 people thought the Earth was flat. When Christopher Columbus set sail for India they thought he would fall off the edge of the Earth.

I think most OLO posters know better. The rotundity of the Earth was well established by 1492. A man called Eratosthenes had published a remarkably precise estimate of the circumference of the Earth 1,700 years previously. You can read about it here:

http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Eratosthenes.html

However in 1492 some people thought Eratosthenes estimate way to large. Among them was Toscanelli, an Italian mathematician. He convinced Columbus that the Earth was small enough to make the journey to India feasible

And that’s what the argument was about. If Toscanelli was right Columbus’ expedition could make it to India before they ran out of food and water.

On the other hand, if Eratosthenes’ 1,700 year old estimate was correct, Columbus and his crew would run out of food and water and perish at sea before they could reach India.

Well Toscanelli was wrong. Eratosthenes was right. But luckily for Columbus there was America.

So Columbus and his crew were able to replenish their stocks of food and water, infect a few “Indians” with syphilis and return to Europe.

I think that makes Columbus the luckiest man in history.

Columbus died believing he had reached India.

Or can anyone think of a luckier man? Other than Columbus' crew of course. They were equally fortunate that America existed.

nice try steven
but im more concerned about ending rather more recxent colonisations

like that of israel
who still thinks they rule the world
[talk about the flat earthing 'gods chosen'..lol]

anyhow thanks for raising the colonisation issue
will get some links for the latest
libia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qogT-DDKHgQ&feature=related
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/72575
ot syria
or palestein
or maybe the civil war in bahrein
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110428/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

there dont seem to be an end to those thinking
their flat earth vieuw is the only relivant vieuw

oh well off to read
the news i missed through
the other media destraction's
http://whatreallyhappened.com/

so many other more recent destractions need attention
http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/28/billboard-company-cancels-equal-rights-for-palestinians/
http://mycatbirdseat.com/2011/04/shadow-of-syrian-conflict-stretching-into-lebanon/
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2011/04/student-loan-debt-hell-21-statistics.html
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2011/04/petraeus-to-cia-completes-cheneys-dream.html

http://revolutionarypolitics.com/?p=5459
http://snardfarker.ning.com/group/gold_silver_precious_metals/forum/topics/us-gets-c-credit-rating-lower
fake el cia-rda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUtvOW6SR0&feature=player_embedded
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/fakealqaeda.html
then of course the gaza flotilla
[cant find a link]
oh well visit the main link

other palistein stuff
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/27/us-palestinians-reconciliation-idUSTRE73Q50820110427
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/israel-can-have-a-peace-partner-with-a-unified-palestine-but-will-palestine-have-one/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13221843
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2011/04/no-fly-zone-over-gaza-%E2%80%94-petition-video/
http://www.rys2sense.com/anti-neocons/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=24551&p=156151#p156151

why do i think stuxnet[israels hand
in 'the cloud' info going south]
http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-lost-data-2011-4

OUG

LOL

I know you will find this hard to grasp but I’ll try anyway.

Even if I don’t convince you maybe I’ll be able to stop this thread being HIJACKED with IRRELEVANCIES.

Though I am Jewish and though I freely confess to being an Israel supporter I am not nearly as obsessed with Israel as you appear to be.

Sometimes interesting historical trivia is just interesting historical trivia.

Sometimes I post things because I find them interesting and want to share.

And that’s all my original post is.

Nothing more.

Yes Eratosthenes is most gob-smacking for sheer cleverness. The fact that anyone thought he was only in the second rank of thinkers is also pretty gob-smacking, and testimony to the astounding debt we owe the ancient Greeks.

The article you linked to on Eratosthenes didn't mention two facts that deserve mention.

The first reason why Eratosthenes thought the earth was a sphere in the first place, was that when he was at Aswan, he noticed that the midday sun shone right down to the bottom of a well at noon at the summer solstice; but when he was at Alexandria, he noticed that the sun did *not* shine to the bottom of a well at noon at the summer solstice, but aslant.

Now I ask you. Would *you* have noticed that? If you had, would you have concluded that it must show the earth's shape is spherical? Gob-smacking.

The next reason why he thought the earth was a sphere was from watching an eclipse of the moon. He saw that the shadow cast was curved, and deduced from his geometry that the only thing that would cause that is a sphere.

He then paid a guy to walk from Aswan to Alexandria (a long way) with a little measuring device. This gave him the arc which he had to multiply out to get the circumference. (The error comes from the error in the measurement of the arc.) God was that guy ever clever.

There was another clever Greek who figured out the height of the great pyramid. Not even the Egyptians knew what is was at the time. Know how he figured it out? He waited until his shadow was the same length as his height and then measured the shadow of the great pyramid.

However I must differ with you in nominating Columbus the luckiest man in history. This title must go to the Great Khan whom Marco Polo met. It's mainly the description of the clever administration of his bedchamber that must strip poor old Christopher of his claim.

Thank you for your fascinating link stevenlmeyer.

What a guy was Erastosthenes and a muso as well.