Historical myths | Dr. John van Wyhe | TEDxNUS

In this talk, Darwin scholar, historian and author Dr John van Wyhe explains how some of the best known known 'facts' if history are often completely, sometimes ridiculously wrong
Dr. John is a historian of science who specializes on Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace and the history of evolutionary theories. He holds an unusual pair of positions: Senior Lecturer at Department of Biological Sciences & Department of History in NUS. He is the founder & director of the award winning Darwin online project at the University of Cambridge. He is a Professorial Fellow of Charles Darwin University and also an Associate of the Science, Technology & Society (STS) Cluster, Asia Research Institute (ARI), Natural History Museum (London) and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He curated the restoration of Darwin's College rooms and the Wallace exhibition at the Science Centre Singapore.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@davinanderson2003]

Today’s American mythology is just as powerful as ancient mythology of Greece and Rome.

[@krs48]

Especially the myths of the Mormons and Evangelicals.

[@torvilasulvstle362]

Much worse.

[@p.bamygdala2139]

Great video! Thanks! I hope for a follow-up, with more precise and detailed tools and techniques for distinguishing myths from history. Thanks!

[@sirjuju4766]

Islanders Navigation system was the stars. They also had great understanding about the movement of wind using it to get from island to island. Its even said that the islanders (South Pacific) sailed to the America's 100 of years before Columbus.

[@paulharland7280]

The other thing about Columbus is that the Portuguese rejected his plan and they were on the cutting edge of navigation at that time even having sent explorers south of the equator where they were unable to see the Northstar but could see new constellations. There is simply no way the Portuguese thought the world was flat much less that they were behind the Spanish in this regard.

[@S3l3ct1ve]

Probably the fact that they could not see the north star was one of the reason they could not advance further, it would have been extremely risky without having a proper tools to navigate :/ If you think it this way, then the Columbus was actually sailing blindly...

[@jackfenn7524]

Thank you!

[@MK-dx8mt]

love the way he talks! explains so simply yet beautifully !

[@jerberus5563]

For a TED Talk video, the microphone/voice recording isn't all that good.

[@kytta]

For a TED talk yeah, but this is a TEDx talk. Basically anyone can invite a bunch of speakers and call it TEDx. I've even seen pseudoscience masquerading as insightful talks in TEDx talk so take TEDx always with a grain of salt. There's really no barrier of entry.

[@wanderingwizard1361]

@@kytta Granted, but what he says also happens to be true.

[@sykadelik459]

exactly. i almost crashed on the freeway while driving and watching this because of the screeching

[@TheMrAdhitya]

@@kytta Marko Rodin?

[@JGLy22086]

I had no problem at all with the sound!

[@ryan_chew97]

Hi prof John, for your question about which is a directly derived or built upon idea on evolution, is the answer 1. Eugenics 2. Survival of the fittest 3. Modern synthesis?

[@dennis-gk3zt]

@Ryan Chew.... None of the above.

[@memphisakan4691]

All of it

[@tehfawkinman]

I never bought the Isaac Newton discovering gravity thing. The very first question that popped into my head was, "So, that's the first anybody with a mind for science saw an object fall from the sky?"

[@anonmouse956]

Newton's discovery was that the apple falling from the tree attracts the Earth towards itself in the same way that the Earth attracts the apple. This was new. Also non linear math was perfected around this time and is needed to describe gravity as acceleration is non linear.

[@baselshishani5575]

Newton did not discover gravity. That's another myth apart from the apple story. The ancients conjectured an Earth core acting like a magnet attracting objects at its surface and holding water from 'washing off' the surface. Because otherwise objects at the 'bottom part' of the earth would fall off and the surface water would just run off. Newton generalized the force to celestial bodies and formulated the laws.

[@m.f.2532]

I am just thankful, for the sake of the sciences and posterity, that Sir Isaac Newton was not sitting under an anvil tree.

[@andyandryshak3961]

@8alot4t Who did he copy? Please list your sources!!! as you suggest Newton should have!!! Peace be with you!... Andy

[@darmok-hm6jx]

M. Ford Anvils are easier to pick before they ripen. “I enjoy talking to you. Your mind appeals to me. It resembles my own mind except that you happen to be insane.” ? George Orwell, 1984

[@dolliscrawford280]

Haha

[@nozecone]

@8alot4t Whew! That was a close one - you almost let the name of that "truly great, though lesser known, natural philosopher" slip out!

[@nozecone]

@8alot4t Okay, gotcha.

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

As an Australian I’m a bit peeved that our country-not New Zealand and not Tasmania didn’t even make it onto the map As a 58year old, I remember being told the flat earth story, even the sailors’ terror at the prospect of sailing over the edge And Newton looks like a tired old rockstar

[@candicemancl6318]

I appreciate this guy's work and efforts to clear up falsehoods, I also think he's a decent public speaker, but his use of absolutes (words like "never" and "always") is harming his credibility to me.

[@VestigialHead]

@@mike62mcmanus Umm dude you appear to be trying to make assumptions using fairy tales. God has never said anything. The Bible makes claims about what God said. But the Bible is not a factual document - it is a story book. Fairy tales to convince the uneducated masses to join a cult. So it is not sane to use the Bible as if it is a source of truth. It is most definitely not.

[@mike62mcmanus]

@@VestigialHead You are like the curator at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Netherlands where the Ipuwer Papyrus is stored. It is written by an Egyptian and it recounts the Nile turning like blood, and the Cattle and the Hail and a great transfer of wealth to slaves the interesting thing is the man says "A consuming fire of the gods has gone out against the enemies of the land to punish them..... THAT Was the pillar of Light to guide the Jews, Ipuwer had a different take. The curator says it's impossible that the man seen this because it's impossible... Lol.

[@VestigialHead]

​@@mike62mcmanus Yes so an Egyptian saw a fairly common phenomenon where algae turns a river blood red. Ok nice. Some Cattle died and there was some weather. Yep all fine so far. Everything it recounts is natural behaviour. How is it indicative of a god or higher power? If that was not your meaning then you may need to clarify your position.

[@mike62mcmanus]

@@VestigialHead Did you know the Hittites were considered a bible fable too once... lol.

[@VestigialHead]

@@mike62mcmanus Yep. Does not mean that the supernatural events described in the Bible are real though does it. Hundreds and hundreds of events in the Bible have already been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to not have happened as written.

[@xxledbettaxx]

I would love for today's scholars to put together a TRUE comprehensive history to be taught in schools. Every lie taught as fact dumbs down the population.

[@CZOV]

Not gonna happen, lies are there do perform exactly what u said and are there on purpose.

[@Archway-9]

The American education system must be rough

[@davinanderson2003]

@@Archway-9 the American education system is not a monolithic entity. Each of the 50 states determines how much money will be spent and how it will be spent. Most Conservative states believe in cutting the education budget to claim lower state taxes eroding the quality and access to even adequate education resources. Certain states are always in at the top because of these policies. But that’s only part of the problem because the more Liberal states have also contributed to the erosion of their education systems because of bloated administrations taking the control out of the educators and into the bureaucrats and they use some needless regulations to eat up large portions of their budgets by creating more bureaucracy.

[@georgesheffield1580]

The intended outcome !

[@stinglp1198]

Aryabhata was an Indian mathematician who lived from 476 to 550 AD and accurately wrote of the earth as being spherical. He also estimated the circumference of the earth to within 67 miles of modern measurements, off only by approximately 0.27%.

[@sandy_the_hippy]

Yeah Greeks knew 500bc ... so aryabhata was late to that party

[@zachh2776]

Themurdersessions....correctamundo!! Though thats what the history books tell us, i do believe that ancient man knew this alot earlier. As above, so below!!

[@PastPresented]

"He also estimated the circumference of the earth to within 67 miles of modern measurements" That may itself be another historical myth. The unit used by Aryabhata was the yojana, which, like other ancient measurements such as the foot (or its Indian equivalent the pada), was not absolutely defined. So, if you happen to define a yojana as exactly 5 modern British Statute miles (about 8km) the Earth's circumference of 4,967 yojanas as given by Aryabhata does indeed appear remarkably accurate- but why would the British Statute mile (first defined in 1593) be exactly 1/5 of a yojana, rather than, say, 231/1000 of a yojana (which for some other medieval Indian versions of the yojana would probably be closer to the truth)?

[@sandy_the_hippy]

@@zachh2776 well to be fair, the ancient Greeks noted it down, but they themselves compared themselves to children and said they learned from priests of Egypt, who knew waay before

[@ggau2005]

@@sandy_the_hippy give reference , waht you claim don't be jealous.

[@pheresy1367]

There is only one Viking helmet in existence today. Based on that one helmet with no horns, we've concluded that Vikings NEVER EVER wore helmets with horns. Sure the modern depiction of the horned helmeted Vikings originated with the German opera, whom took artistic liberty. But even that was based on Roman descriptions of facing Northern tribes in battle, which included TALL horned helmets. There are ancient Norse tapestries and engravings depicting helmets WITH horns. Beowulf was described wearing a helm like a boar for protection. Tusks are signifying elements to make something look like a boar. Beowulf helmet with boar tusks? I'm guessing that Vikings may have tried a variety of headgear. I'm hot convinced that a horned helmet NEVER made it to a raid or at least worn ceremonially. I don't know, and neither does he.

[@randallkelton6878]

Bravo

[@micheinnz]

Got a cite for there only being one Viking helmet in existence today?

[@niklashx]

Yes that is a bit of an absurd claim. :D Maybe they only have one at his local musem? @@micheinnz

[@MrChiangching]

@@niklashx I doubt horned helmets were ever in widespread use for anyone. It is extremely inefficient. A hard blow on the horns might snap your neck if strapped, knock it off if not.

[@nihlify]

@@niklashx you two are morons... There is only one Viking helmet found in Scandinavia dated back to the Viking era. Maybe you should do your research before coming off as assholes.

[@cpolychreona]

If Da Vinci figured out how to measure the size of the earth, he was two millennia behind Eratosthenes (276-194 BC), the Greek astronomer who calculated the diameter of the earth with amazing precision, using the method that Leonardo's drawing seems to suggest. Aristotle, a century earlier, had already presented compelling evidence that the earth was a sphere.

[@anthonylemkendorf3114]

A.P Constantin Isaiah 20:23

[@shatrubodh2295]

Indians says hold my 🍺

[@mikkokorperich4151]

Columbus went to America in 1492. The Vikings went there 5 centuries prior to that. Leif Erikson first landed in "VInland" (east coast of Canada) in ca. 1000 AD. And Columbus never set foot in North America, but went first to the Caribbean, later to Central and South America.

[@mikerose51]

Mikko Körperich To discover something you have to go there then leave and tell people about it

[@mechanix1960]

@@mikerose51 ...and that's exactly what Leif Erikson did, going back to Norway and telling the people. Or how do you think we would know otherwise?

[@AlbertSchram]

Isaac Newton's apple [04:32] Charles Darwin [06:41] seem to have contributed unintentionally to the creation of the myths around them.

[@JanderStrahd]

Stop me if you've heard this one before. An Englishman, an alchemist, and a mythicized marauder walk into an indigenous dwelling...

[@OldManDave1960]

Go on

[@RosannaMiller]

It really seems apparent that there must have been people that believed the Earth was round and people that believed it was flat. Christopher Columbus had a faith that leaned toward it being a sphere. There were people who imagined the Earth was a few different shapes. I imagine flat/sphere were the two views held by the majority.

[@ethanschoales6563]

Still more people knew the shape of the Earth than most people think. Although they didn't think the sun revolved around the earth. Speaking of which, the conventional story of how that was discovered is all wrong too...

[@selinovaldes]

Rosanna Miller I think his point is that the majority within the naval and scientific community had already figured this out and disseminated the information to those that would sponsor the voyage. I didn’t hear the speaker say that no one on earth believed the earth was flat.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

What about a banana shape?

[@youbigtubership]

"Everyone thought X. No. Everyone thought Y." Generalizations like that sound daft.

[@DrGhozePablito]

I'm from Portugal. We were ahead of the Spanish in terms of navigation at that time. Of course everybody knew the Earth was round. At least the educated class. We don't teach this at school. We teach that Columbus knew that the Earth was round, so he was to reach India navigating to the west.

[@DrGhozePablito]

@Abe Yonder sorry to disagree. The Portuguese called that land India back in the 16th century. Here is a excerpt from our national epic poem Lusíadas written by Camões where the name India appears: «Esta é, por certo a terra que buscais Da verdadeira Índia, que aparece; E, se do mundo mais não desejais, Vosso trabalho longo aqui fenece.» Sofrer aqui não pôde o Gama mais, De ledo em ver que a terra se conhece: Os geolhos no chão, as mãos ao Céu, A mercê grande a Deus agardeceo.

[@crpth1]

@Abe Yonder - That is totally non sense. You guys when "making up" American history should have instead a VERY close look at Portuguese history. That would help you guys clear a bunch of mistakes and wanna be happenings. ;-) Have also in mind British, Dutch, French, even the Spanish (Castilla). They all came AFTER the Portuguese "quick of", for a reason. No wonder several of those "built" they're empires over Portuguese sweat.

[@jonayz8655]

If you were so ahead then...why didn't you discover America yourselves??

[@DrGhozePablito]

@@jonayz8655 You have to realize that, at that time, the focus was on finding the sea route to India because of the very valuable trade in spices. And in this race, the Portuguese went far ahead, given that in the year Columbus discovered America, we were already sailing the Indian Ocean. The sea route to India was known, it just needed to be covered, overcoming the various obstacles namely contouring the Cape of Good Hope, which happened in 1488. Therefore, the whole coast of Africa and the seas as far as India were controlled by the Portuguese. As the fact that the Earth was round was known, it would be obvious that sailing to the West from Europe, one would eventually reach India. The problem was, not knowing if there would be land on that route, the sea distance would be immeasurable until then. The caravels had limited autonomy and, with no ports to replenish water and food, this trip was an almost suicidal mission. That is why, coupled with the fact that we were already controlling the sea route to India, the King of Portugal rejected the request for funding that Columbus first addressed to the Portuguese Crown. It was Portugal that Columbus first went to, because he too, like many at the time, considered Portugal the number 1 power in navigation. Missing Portuguese support, Colombo then addresses the kings of Spain who decide to support him precisely because they were losing the race of the seas. They took a step forward, not knowing what to expect. It was a desperate decision. For the good of the Crown of Spain, there was land to the west, reachable by the caravels. The mission ended up bearing fruit, but in terms of the “spice war” coming from India, Spain never achieved anything and Portuguese rule would continue for a few more centuries. It is also because Columbus thought he had arrived in India, demonstrating that his knowledge was not so good given that, due to the distance traveled, that land sighted could never be India, that the natives of the new continent were called Indians by the navigators.

[@mikedbconnect]

Not everyone believed the earth was flat ... Christian dogma insisted upon specific lines of thought. Columbus himself believed it was round, hence his journey. Ancient Greeks had centuries before proved it - and they had a fairly accurate method for calculating the circumference.

[@artishukla9598]

In our Vedas and other books like mahabharata it is written that the earth is round and there are eight planets

[@Dennis-zf3tu]

One of the points me made seemed way off. He admitted that Newton told a couple people that watching an apple fall prompted Newton to conceive of gravity. A couple historians said it was observations of a comet, but why do we doubt the words spoken by Newton himself? Also, the idea that a single incident was the inspiration for the theory of gravity seems implausible. So the story of an apple falling has truth to it.

[@davidtogi5878]

This is just an assumption but people might doubt his apple story because even Newton can forgot things, mixing stories, or even worse exaggerate too, not to mention he said that in his old age. My 75 y/o mom sometimes forgot her own name so his old age is def raising doubt. Or no records ever founded that Newton ever been in any apple orchards, who knows.

[@MladenMihajlovic]

I love John's talks, they are so interesting, but whoever films these always seems to forget to show the slides properly on the video.

[@musik102]

Well, is this chap creating a myth about what "we" were told about Columbus and his voyage? Back in the the 1950s, at school in the UK, we were told quite clearly that back in Columbus's day it was generally accepted that the world was round and, with that in mind, Columbus reckoned that by sailing west he would be able to get to East quicker ( without having to sail all around Africa ).

[@Applejack484]

He is probably doing this lecture because unfortunately there are idiots today who now believe the world is flat, and further believe it is a world wide government cover up.

[@curtisthomas2670]

There were history books that taught that some people thought the world was flat bs

[@peter9477]

He's not wrong that these are widely held myths. He is wrong about how universally the myths are believed, and seems a bit arrogant in how forcefully he proclaims it, painting far too many with the same broad brush. But it's as he said about Washington Irving: it sells better. His talk would be a little more boring with more nuance.

[@ChrstphreCampbell]

The Apple Story comes from ( i'm told ) Newton's Niece, and not from him, but this may be a 2nd Person Story, that Isaac never actually wrote down himself.

[@timothylines3867]

tell the one where james watt,had nothing to do with ohm,s law.but he was up the crowns but.

[@granskare]

and today, we still have flat-earthers :)

[@Ploskkky]

Sadly stupidity can never be completely eradicated.

[@MichaelBrewick]

The Russians did that to us, along with the miserable vaccine crisis.

[@larryd6143]

@@MichaelBrewick Don't forget Trump. I think the people have gotten so used to getting conned, from click bait to credit cards, that they can no longer determine what is real. And let's not forget the biggest con of all RELIGION.

[@dreww8941]

My family believes the Earth is flat, they’re fundamentalists. I on the other hand lead my classes in college. I guess the apple can tend to fall far from the tree in some cases.

[@Vothtrucks]

@@larryd6143 You had better pray that religion is nothing more than a con.

[@millsbuckss]

Off topic I know but is that painting an original?

[@jashanestone]

Lewis Latimer was a significant player in the existence of a light bulb should I say the extended existence of a lightbulb.. 💯💯💯

[@springpodcaststudios5495]

Read the account of the first man to circumnavigate alone and how he stopped in South Africa at the end of the 19c. He was ridiculed by King Kruger that the earth was flat and his tales of circumnavigation must be false. You can't ridicule people for using absolutes while at the same time using absolutes yourself. Unsmart.

[@normanstewart9857]

Newton did refer to an apple, but not to a falling apple. He described how he imagined the force of gravity reaching up from the Earth to the apple on the tree and beyond that to the Moon and so on.

[@tboned70]

Ancient India knew that already,......and I'm leaning to research that Africa and China as well,....!

[@davidgiles9378]

I don’t think it is taught that Columbus was first to prove the earth was spherical. As a child I read that Columbus convinced his patrons that his prospective voyage would provide a shortcut to obtain spices, as was discussed here. However, I was under the impression that in ancient times the belief that one could fall off if one traveled beyond the earth’s edge was common. As to the percentages of Europeans who may have actually adhered to that ‘fall off the flat earth’ belief, I suppose a decent estimate would require digging into volumes of written correspondence of ordinary people, problematic since many were not literate. Though the amount of people who think the earth is flat now is extremely low, it is nevertheless a remarkable and somewhat disturbing phenomenon which evidences the modern power of disinformation. No doubt such persons are flagged as vulnerable to those who’d exploit them further.

[@executivedirector7467]

Nothing Columbus did would prove the earth was a sphere anyway. He died believing he'd reached asia. if physical proof was needed i suppose it would be Magellan's fleet's voyage, but even that is superfluous. The evidence is all around us.

[@GodlessScummer]

First historical myth that people knew for centuries before Columbus that the earth was round. Yet nowadays we have an increasing amount of flat earthers. Not a great picture of modern society.

[@jackfenn7524]

Anyone who could think knew the Earth was round, even 100 thousand years ago. But the CHURCH insisted the Earth was flat, and made it illegal to say anything else.

[@amanhasnobody3415]

@@jackfenn7524 Really? If you are referring to what they banned about the teachings of Galileo is not about flat earth at all but rather heliocentrism.

[@jackfenn7524]

It gets worse, because the level of ignorance of the average American is much higher than the average European of the 19th century, (the 1800s).

[@neilcreamer8207]

@@jackfenn7524 It's not just Americans. In general, people can't distinguish between what they know and what they believe so it is very easy to indoctrinate them to take as facts ideas which are only ideas. Especially if you call someone an expert and have them deliver the message. In this regard we haven't moved at all since the era when the Christian church ran the show. It's just that the message has changed and the priests have different job titles now.

[@liltuck737]

I want to listen to this but it sounds like I'm on speaker with someone driving with there windows down on the highway

[@zachh2776]

As far as Columbus goes....this always struck me as curious. If he thought that the earth was flat, and he wanted to reach india by sailing west from europe (india is southeast from europe) then why did he think he could reach india sailing west? If he thought the earth was flat, then he, in theory, would sail west off the edge of the earth!

[@joshuapray]

The story never said that Columbus thought the Earth was flat. As the story goes, it was everyone _else_ who thought it was flat and Columbus was an enlightened rebel.

[@S3l3ct1ve]

@@joshuapray More like, he was against the church teachings and wanted to prove it. Also we should probably think about the possibility of propaganda spread by the greedy merchants who wanted to keep the money flow while dominating the land routes from India.. I mean if the merchants were moving from India to Europe they clearly knew that there were harbors in India and they probably had an idea of sailing to India... But they also knew that they could not control the sea and that the prices of their good would drop...

[@crpth1]

Literally nobody in those days, at least with minimal education, thought the earth was flat. That includes the Church and Colombo. ;-)

[@mikev4621]

Another myth is of LaPlace having told Napoleon that he had "no need of that hypothesis " when asked by the emperor where God was in his theory

[@dafyddthomas7689]

People knew Round-worldism, but they did not dare say so because Flat-earthism was the infallible doctrine of the Roman Church. Giordano Bruno was burnt alive for Roundearthism, Galileo was imprisoned for life for Roundearthism. Copernicus had to publish his Round-earthism book posthumously.

[@socksumi]

Why is the word "myth" equate with falsehood? While some myths are embellished or made up whole cloth, any myths are often derived from some fact based events.

[@PopeCocksmoker]

Y'know what the difference between a true story and a story "derived from some truth" is? All the parts that aren't true in the latter. There probably was a Trojan War. There probably wasn't a Golden Apple of Discord, nor were there several demigods on the field. What about the tactics involved? Well, no, the parts involving chariots probably didn't happen either, because chariots were practically never used in Greek warfare. A brief glance at the terrain will swiftly reveal why. So what we've got is one kernel of truth (there was probably a war involving Troy) and a bunch of fiction, including entirely non-supernatural elements that weren't there. That's why The Illiad is a myth and not a historical account.

[@fobwatchful]

So "EVERYBODY" in Columbus's time knew the earth was round. First of all, that's not what I was taught. I was taught that most educated people knew the earth was round, and most everybody else just didn't care. And as far as everyone, well with all the Flat Earth people out there, not everybody TODAY knows the earth is round.

[@dafyddthomas7689]

Everybody DID care that the World was flat. Giordano Bruno was tortured to death for Round-Worldism. Galileo was imprisoned to death for Round-Worldism. Copernicus and Kepler had to publish their Round-Worldism books posthumously. Everybody might have KNOWN that the World was round, but they were scared to say so. Columbus escaped Westward because the Inquisition were too scared to follow him. Lucky for Columbus that America was in the way, otherwise Columbus would have gone all the way around and sailed back to Spain and been burnt to death.

[@olivermurrihy2970]

@@dafyddthomas7689 : In fact, Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler believed in Round-Sunism - that the Earth went round the Sun instead of the Sun going round the Earth. Not many years ago I asked two university students which went round which. One said that the Sun went round the Earth, the other said that he couldn't remember! (I think it's worth adding that a middle-aged male cleaner was standing nearby when the first student said that the Sun went round the Earth. He was quietly smiling to himself.)

[@soslothful]

@Abe Yonder It is a metaphor. Not a factual description.

[@soesantowignjohoesodo7545]

@@dafyddthomas7689 , ha ha ha real correct !

[@darmok-hm6jx]

@Abe Yonder [NEWS]

[@misatodenshi]

''if the story sounds too good to be true''.....like religions

[@thekingofmoab1181]

Oof

[@captaindrywall]

columbus should have learned to fish

[@boburmirzotemirov57]

John Leitaker lol haaaa haaa you right 100% May be he thought one bowl fish

[@drsnova7313]

Ships need fresh water, a source of vitamins, esp. vitamin C (like limes, lemons or sauerkraut) and other things that you can't get from fishing.

[@simplyhuman3982]

@@drsnova7313 ships need none of that. They were made of wood.

[@drsnova7313]

@@simplyhuman3982Heh, true.

[@adolphsanchez1429]

I knew all of this already. Didn't Pythagoras utilize a shadow from a large pole in two different locations to estimate the circumference of a round Earth?

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

its also a lot of things taught to be fact that is far from it. orgin of life is one. You cant naturally select or evolve from something that doesnt exist already.

[@curtisthomas2670]

The biggest myth was that Columbus was trying to reach Asia (the East lndies) by sailing west. He was trying to reach lands situated where he ended up, in the Americas, that he learned about from other Europeans, Asians etc and from old accounts. His contract with the Spanish royals had nothing to do with Asia but with new lands for which he would be appointed govenor.

[@dennis-gk3zt]

Are you sure? You are contradicting Dr. Van Wythe.

[@peter9477]

Citations needed...

[@puglover8171]

The bible doesn't say the earth is flat.

[@johnbroussard3666]

So why were Copernicus and Galileo censured and exiled?

[@akhan3682]

Omar Khayyam calculated the earths diameter in the 10th century AD, Copernicus was around the same.

[@paddyodriscoll8648]

I've never heard the claim Darwin had a eureka moment, and I'm pretty well-trained in the history of evolutionary thought.

[@christineyoung5385]

You think you are

[@paddyodriscoll8648]

@@christineyoung5385 I’ve read hundreds of Darwin’s correspondences. If you can find me him mentioning an actual eureka moment, I’d be keen to hear it. The closest I’ve seen is when he applied Malthus to his developing hypothesis for the mechanism. The reality was many people suspected evolution long before Darwin, and he developed his ideas for this mechanism over decades.

[@pharaohacura3618]

i find it absolutely amazing how we can find ourselves reliving the lives of people whom we never met, people we really don’t know if they even existed, yet speak of them as if we partied or went to school with them...the power of ‘belief’ and the illusion it puts on the mind...

[@MrJosephdrummond]

jeez, man. SPOILERS! you're "ruining my childhood"

[@arturhashmi6281]

11:17 actually it is inspired by ancient cave paintings from Scandinavia, also i think that a lot of common sailors could believe in flat earth during the time of Columbus

[@loungewear13]

Fantastic audio

[@ericscaillet2232]

A lot of peasants knew the earth was round since when ever, they just did not make a noise about it.

[@therussian572]

Nowhere does the Bible say, that earth is flat. Looks like mr. Irving was wrong on that one too.

[@author7027]

does the Bible say that the sky is hard?

[@therussian572]

@@author7027 Yes, but that refers to the state which matter was in before the completion of creation.

[@Fatjonir]

THE RUSSIAN (Русский) so why they burn people who says no!!!

[@therussian572]

@@Fatjonir what nonsense are you talking about? The Bible also says "do not kill". Whoever kills, clearly doesn't believe in the Bible.

[@douglasdea637]

@@therussian572 God wanted the Hebrews to slay the Canaanites, every man, woman and child. And so they did, again and again and again. Of course, the Hebrews were Canaanites and the conquest of Canaan as described in the OT never happened. But, there you go. Then there are all the Christian wars since then, and Muslim wars, and Jewish wars. Inquisitions, crusades, witch trials... I can assure you, all those people believed very much so in the Bible.

[@MRK1973]

Just a side note, but the Bible does not say the earth is flat. Just because it might say ‘at sunset’ or ‘ at sunrise’ , which I don’t know if does incidentally, but we say the same today because from a human perspective it appears to rise and set. The Bible actually says at Isaiah 40:22 that the earth is a sphere or circle. To say this means it is flat is wrong and is laying an interpretation on a verse which fits a pre conceived idea. The Bible says it’s round which is in agreement with science today.

[@danjones9007]

This stuff was all known for many years. I thought he might offer that coyotes can out run roadrunners.

[@ericscaillet2232]

😂

[@darmok-hm6jx]

That certianly can be observed and verified.

[@johnbarrick4836]

I was just under the impression that the common people thought it was flat. Not that intelligent people which is very few.

[@pakimonsas]

Colombus didn't underestimated the size of the Earth, but he used a map based on Marco Polo's travels that overestimated the size of Asia, so when Colombus arrived at the Caribbean isles he thought he was close to Japan

[@silversurfer512]

So, Columbus had a map in which Asia covered up whole Pacific Ocean and American Continents? That's not true. Columbus thought he had arrived to East Asia because he just didn't know existence of American continents yet. At that era, nobody could imagine that there's another continent between Europe and East Asia. That's all.

[@TheSamcallan]

Not everyone NOW thinks the Earth is round!

[@jackfenn7524]

Not everyone NOW knows that cancer is easily cured, or that Nuclear waste can be changed into a harmless substance very easily, or that freight train locomotives are diesel/electric hybrids, (and have been for over 70 years!)

[@kennashley3114]

Columbus and others knew of a continent to the west

[@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869]

Kenn Ashley But Viking helmets had no horns so your argument is invalid.

[@kennashley3114]

@@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869 ,I've never made that claim friendd,only a statement expressing that many knew of a western continent,Vikings settled new found land,Newfoundland today much earlier than any other explorer. No need to be so hostile,seems like everyone is in attack mode these days on utube!!! Are the masses seeking assurance of thier own intelligent supremecy,self confidence,not sure what,but friendly exchangers of ideas,opinions etc

[@skyem5250]

Thomas Edison did not invent the first lightbulb. He invented the first type of lightbulb that was commercially viable and long lasting. (Meaning more than a few minutes.)

[@tomlaureys1734]

He said that people knew 2000 years ago that the Earth was round but he didn't tell us who those people were. In fact he didn't tell us who really invented the light bulb if it wasn't Edison. What good is this video telling us the fallacies without telling us the truth. He didn't give me facts that I can go and verify.

[@GioBaby]

Man I was kicked out of social studies class for saying this stuff back when I was in 9th grade. I argued with my teacher and he told me to be quiet .

[@ethanschoales6563]

"No, Jimmy, Albert Einstein did ig discover that the world was round and people were descended from finches when an apple fell on his head. You get an F."

[@AgnesTemesvaritothkasa]

Another funny one Good comment

[@nibiruresearch]

Darwin is known for his evolution theory, but he knew that our planet Earth is suffering from a often recurring natural disaster: "Certainly no fact in the long history of the world is as appalling as the widespread and repeated extermination of its inhabitants". That is what he wrote in his travelogue and diary. The Earth is suffering from a cycle of natural disasters. That is written in ancient books like the Mahabharata and the Popol Vuh from the Maya.This cycle causes a cycle of civilizations. To learn much more about the cycle of civilizations and its timeline, recurring floods and ancient high tech, read the e-book:"Planet 9 = Nibiru" You can read it nicely on any computer, tablet or smartphone. Just search for: invisible nibiru 9

[@iisig]

The Columbus story is still false. He knew the size of the earth BUT at that time the size of asia (or india as it was calked at that time) was thiught to be a lot bigger than it actually is (especially to the east). Therefore columbus at first thought he had possibly landed on a japanese island

[@nyrtzi]

Japan was a part Columbus' travel plan if I remember correctly.

[@ben-jam-in6941]

They still teach that Columbus was the first European to discover America instead of Norse explorers (most know them as Vikings) nearly 500 years before Columbus was even born. You can even go see the evidence in the ground at L'anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland but if you ask alot of people in America and other places its still ole Chris Columbus. The same people have little knowledge of the Natives who had been in America for thousands of years before either of the explorers went exploring.

[@clintwolf1557]

Terrific, very interesting video. Thanks.

[@louisvolschenk7200]

Also never before heard Columbus thought the earth was flat. Perhaps a US myth.

[@joshuapray]

Well, that's not what he said. What he said was the myth states that everyone _else_ thought the Earth was flat and Columbus was an enlightened rebel. But yes, this is taught in US schools. And, as he is an Englishman, I assume in the UK as well.

[@Archway-9]

Joshua Pray in the UK we barely ever do American history because it’s not as interesting as most other places

[@valayagaudet7182]

Great talk!

[@carlose5751]

The affirmations in this video are wrong since the very begining.

[@mogbaba]

Good speech even I didn't understand what he called the moral of the story.

[@Richie_P]

Was hoping he'd clarify what Benjamin Franklin had to do with electricity. I know he certainly didn't "discover" electricity, but it may be true that he did like to run experiments. Guess I better keep looking for a different video.

[@allanrichardson1468]

Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning in the sky was the same phenomenon and static electrical discharges, just much greater in size. And he didn't do it by letting a lightning bolt hit his kite; rather, he collected the build up of charge BEFORE a lightning strike and stored it in a Leyden jar (a primitive capacitor). He was actually lucky that he was able to rein in his kite in time to avoid a strike. One man who did change history after surviving a lightning strike was Martin Luther. He was so grateful to God for sparing his life that he became a priest. This put him in a position to study theology and the Bible, and develop his belief that the Catholic Church was wrong about some points. He wasn't flying a kite, he just got hit by lightning.

[@easywind4044]

Possibly that information was not excepted by the general population. Looking at today, I have no trouble believing that many people still thought the earth was flat.

[@lowefforttree]

all those myths are still taught in schools in 2019.

[@JS-ir9sv]

People could look up and see the moon was round so why wouldnt the earth be round too!

[@drg8687]

Because it's fallacious reasoning, even if it's leads you to the correct conclusion.

[@darmok-hm6jx]

I've read that they were thought of as round disks in the sky.

[@sebastianmelmoth685]

Should have covered the Galileo mythology.

[@mdmonroe82]

I was never told Christopher Columbus had anything to do with Flat Earth Theory. We were just told he was thr first to discover America.

[@yhp0776]

The Greeks and Romans knew the earth wasn't flat.

[@tsun8267]

And all of Pre-christian Europe

[@theresahemminger1587]

Actually, I think most educated people know these things. I think they should be called “folk history”. Newton was at his mothers farm to escape the plague, he says he saw an apple fall: later illustrators had it fall on his head. I think that’s recognized as a bit of humor....

[@hectormcarmonadiaz9184]

He new where he was going,he new about the Piri Reis map

[@liz5089]

He occasionally, depending on what sounds he speaks, sounds like Tyrion Lannister. It's all I could focus on.

[@guitarheel99]

That wireless mic is channel hopping like crazy.

[@nibiruresearch]

Darwin wrote a famous book about evolution. But he was also aware of the widespread and repeated extermination of its inhabitants. Historians are walking in the dark as long as they ignore ancient texts, like the Indian Mahabharata and the Mayan Popol Vuh, that tell us that the Earth is suffering from a cycle of seven natural disasters. Those disasters are causing massive floods, earthquakes, thunderstorms, and a bombardment of fiery meteors every few thousand years. These disasters create a cycle of civilizations. If you don't know this cycle, history is incomprehensible. To learn much more about the cycle of civilizations, recurring floods, and ancient high technology, read the eBook: "Planet 9 = Nibiru". You can read it nicely on any computer, tablet or smartphone. Search for: invisible nibiru 9

[@alexanderv7702]

If gravity keeps the water in our Seas and Oceans from flying off as the Earth spins, how can sea birds defy gravity by flying over Seas and Oceans while at the same time gravity suppresses the water beneath these sea birds?

[@OldManDave1960]

Aerodynamics.

[@terrencekane8203]

Jet engines, wings, tail assemblies, ailerons all provide lift. Birds have these built in.

[@donaldkaspersen3768]

Anyone who has read excerpts from Washington Irving's "A Knickerbocker History of New York" would know that Irving wrote hysterically funny pseudo-history- not a man to be an authority on anyone's history.

[@michaelhenault4381]

The lecturer and I have the same obsession: peeling away fake narratives

[@toni4729]

There are still people in the USA that believe the earth is flat. I don't know why.

[@leonardbramhill9749]

Antoinette Parry why don’t you research it? I thought it was a joke until I gave them an ear. They have more proof on there side than those that think it’s round. Watch “200 proofs the earth is not a spinning ball.”

[@toni4729]

@@leonardbramhill9749 I'm sorry, I'm in Australia and perfectly content believing the earth is at least very nearly a sphere.

[@OldManDave1960]

If you u think that's a uniquely US phenomenon, you are badly mistaken.

[@neilcreamer8207]

In the context of these myths, maybe the biggest irony about flat-earth is the smugness of people today who 'know' that it's false. Most people wouldn't care to check the facts for themselves or know how to and so believe that the Earth is round on the same sort of basis that people have always believed anything: because they heard it from someone they considered an authority.

[@taylorbarnett1199]

I never heard that Columbus thought the earth was flat, and all that... guess I had better education.

[@bonniebabyboo3095]

I suppose you did because that was the tale I was taught in school.

[@alicelascaux7222]

This man for all his grand titles and scholarly type achievements gives no good reason WHY were these lies continually perpetuated?! Real riveting stuff.

[@dirkhamilton2709]

Alice Lookingglass, because people like to think they are so much smarter than people of the past.

[@dirkhamilton2709]

It’s mostly the uneducated of today that like to think they are smarter than the educated of the past (and of today).

[@alicelascaux7222]

@@dirkhamilton2709 an answer that makes sense! Glaringly true

[@TheRastacabbage]

@@dirkhamilton2709 apparently we're taught by the educated. Why would we be told lies?

[@GNULinuxier]

I thought he was going to talk about the myth that prehistoric people were contemporaries of dinosaurs

[@nate8lowe]

Until a few years ago, ppl said no one ever thought the earth was flat

[@peter9477]

Really? I grew up in the 70s and even then it was a widely held idea that in medieval times "everyone thought the world was flat". I doubt that after the 70s the story suddenly changed to "no wait, actually no one ever thought that".

[@nate8lowe]

@@peter9477 i remember that era as well, and there was some major backtracking across different institutions and the "educated" public in the early nineties, and i heard the sentiment til the last 8 or so

[@juliandeleon6107]

idk why we are taught the flat earth colombus thing. i remember learning that in second grade but then in like 5th grade they told us the true story and it was the same school so why even change the facts

[@robertford8476]

Actually columbus thought he was going to hit a small island east of japan, they thought japan was about where mexico was.

[@shawnstatzer3137]

I did not realize that Darwin's finches (various subspecies) occassion fly in the same flock.

[@peter9477]

Did he actually state that, or only that they were observed together on the ground feeding?

[@bryanevenor7769]

Same goes for religion. Apply this moral to holy books and you'll find that they only have bold claims unsupported by any shred of evidence. ;)

[@lmarcos53]

He brought up how people believed the flat earth theory because of what the Bible says. But, the Bible does not say the earth is flat. In fact, quite the opposite. In the book of Isaiah, which was written in the 8th century b.c., chapter 40, verse 22, Isaiah wrote that the earth is circular, round and not flat. Even more amazing is in the book of Job, at chapter 26, verse 7, he speaks of the earth as being suspended upon nothing! The book was written by Moses in the 15th century b.c., of Job's experiences that happened in the 17th century b.c! How could Isaiah and Job have known scientifically accurate facts about the earth at that time?

[@archangecamilien1879]

1:48 wait, everyone?...Or just scientists (well, science philosophers, historians, etc) and educated people?...

[@archangecamilien1879]

8:36 yes, I didn't remember, but I heard Richard Dawkins explain this...I wonder if I will not have heard of any of these facts, haha, I mean, if I will have believed any of these myths...

[@lancefov2210]

your mic

[@Evilhippie64]

I don't believe in flat-earthers either. I believe in people being trolls, and making funny challenging arguments, that forces people to argue for their believes, instead of just repeating what others say, but the intelligence needed to write in a youtube section is more than enough to know that the earth is not flat.