<story><title>They knew it was round, damn it</title><url>https://thonyc.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/repeat-after-me-they-knew-it-was-round-damn-it/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>PeCaN</author><text>I kid you not, it&amp;#x27;s taught in American elementary schools (at least it was to me, in the early-mid 2000s).&lt;p&gt;...Yeah. Thankfully my middle school general science textbook mentioned this shit&amp;#x27;s been known forever and the Greeks even estimated the circumference of the thing.</text></item><item><author>pluma</author><text>Wait. There are people who believe Columbus was the first person to establish as common knowledge that the world was round? Is this an American thing again?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>TillE</author><text>What stands out in my mind is some educational film (early 90s?) where Columbus sees a butterfly land on an orange, and it reminds him of a ship on a round Earth.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s a baffling myth that has been lazily propagated for a very long time. Would be interesting to figure out where it came from.</text></comment>
<story><title>They knew it was round, damn it</title><url>https://thonyc.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/repeat-after-me-they-knew-it-was-round-damn-it/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>PeCaN</author><text>I kid you not, it&amp;#x27;s taught in American elementary schools (at least it was to me, in the early-mid 2000s).&lt;p&gt;...Yeah. Thankfully my middle school general science textbook mentioned this shit&amp;#x27;s been known forever and the Greeks even estimated the circumference of the thing.</text></item><item><author>pluma</author><text>Wait. There are people who believe Columbus was the first person to establish as common knowledge that the world was round? Is this an American thing again?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Spellman</author><text>Compounding the error is the claim he discovered the Americas. He actually found the Caribbean islands. Which is kinda close, but not really the same.&lt;p&gt;But yay simplification that Columbus found America! At least that&amp;#x27;s what most teach the kids. My kid will know better.</text></comment>