Why 10% Americans Think Earth is FLAT?
Many people still believe in the Flat Earth theory, despite all the scientific evidence against it. For example, in the U.S., around 10% of people believe the Earth is flat. In the U.K., it’s about 3%, and in Brazil, it’s 7%. This belief isn’t limited to just a few places, and even educated people have fallen for it.
A man named Mike Hughes, also known as “Mad Mike,” was an American daredevil who tried to prove the Flat Earth theory. In 2002, he broke a world record by jumping 103 feet in a limousine. Later, in 2014, he built a rocket in his garage and launched himself 1,300 feet into the air. He kept pushing to fly higher because he wanted to see if the Earth was flat with his own eyes.
Mike didn’t believe in science and thought the Earth’s shape was different from what people were taught in school. He claimed that Antarctica is a huge ice wall holding the oceans in place, and beyond it, there’s nothing. His Flat Earth beliefs gained him support and donations from the community.
Many Flat Earthers believe that the sun and moon revolve around the Earth like spotlights, giving us day and night. They also argue that the horizon always looks flat and that water in lakes and oceans is level, not curved. However, scientists have proven time and again that the Earth is round. Historical thinkers like Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Eratosthenes figured this out centuries ago through simple observations.
Despite this, the Flat Earth theory has been misinterpreted using religious texts, both from the Bible and the Quran, to make it seem true. Some followers believe the Earth is covered by a dome, with the sun and moon much closer than they really are. In fact, many people who believe in the Flat Earth theory also believe in other conspiracy theories, like vaccines having microchips or that space agencies like NASA are fake.
One reason people believe in Flat Earth is because it’s a simple idea to understand. It doesn’t require any complex science or math. Another reason is intuition. People trust what they see with their own eyes rather than studying science. But as history shows, just because something seems simple doesn’t mean it’s true.
The Flat Earth theory gained popularity again in the 1800s with books like Zetetic Astronomy and 100 Proofs That the Earth Is Not a Globe. But scientists have always proven these ideas wrong. For example, a famous biologist, Alfred Wallis, designed experiments to show how light bends over long distances, explaining why the horizon looks flat but the Earth is actually round.
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