The Earth is Flat! That is the conclusion that many ancient societies once drew. Then, in the 19th century, belief in the flat earth started to return, and in the last decade this easily disprovable fallacy has celebrated a remarkable resurgence. And that's all thanks, in large part, to an 1887 science experiment. This week, for the start of season 8, we're looking at the shaggy dog story of how that experiment came to take place, and how it came to be seen as evidence for the flatness of our planet. Get a free trial of The Great Courses Plus by going to https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant (https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/theconstant)Get 10% off your first month of online counseling by visiting:http://betterhelp.com/theconstant (http://betterhelp.com/theconstant) Visit our Patreon here (https://patreon.com/theconstant).Music by:Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue/)Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/)Kevin MacLeodanimeistrash Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices