Why are kids still taught Columbus said earth was round, when it was common belief?

Question

Think back to your childhood. We were always taught Columbus set out to prove the world was round by finding an alternate route to the East Indies. Yes, he wanted an alternate route, but everyone at the time knew the earth was round. Yet we (Americans) teach our children he was different, and wanted to prove the earth was round. Why? Why not just tell them he wanted an easier way to get to the East Indies? Why do we need the flat earth story?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus

Answer 1

a lot of history taught to children would be more accurately called mythology, and making sure the children know the same mythology as their parents and grandparents.

Answer 2

It's because too few people have heard of the most important man on the Earth is round subject. Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the Earth in about 235BC using shadow triangulation. He was only off by like 180 miles, which was only discovered though sattellite measurements. Nobody else was as accurate as him for over 2,100 years.

Some teachers may not proof read their text books. Many text books are written by ghost writers with forged names of people that never even seen the writer or book. One guy went through a text book and found about 100 pages worth of mistakes and he was just some student's father.

Answer 3

People do not like to be proven wrong. Amerigo Vespucci should be considered for another Holiday - more holidays! Discuss it with your friends...In using the inner circle (also called fishbowl) technique I announce that at the next class meeting we are going to have a class within a class, with 6 to 15 students acting as the discussion group and the others as observers. Classroom has movable chairs? Then arrange the seating in concentric circles. Students who are normally silent will talk when they feel the increased sense of responsibility as members of the inner circle. This "fishbowl" can be used in small, as well as large, classes. Tell students that at the next class meeting the teacher chooses 6 to 15 students to be "in the fishbowl." You then conduct a discussion (based on the work to date) with the students in the fishbowl. The rest of the students are to act as observers and recorders, noting both the process and the content of the discussion. Before the end of the class period, observers write a brief summary of the discussion and/or answer the question, "What would you have said that wasn't said?"

Answer 4

I disagree with your statement that everyone knew the earth was round. That's not true. Everyone thought the earth was flat and that people would "fall off" a round earth. Fallacies were common in those days, and the gravitational pull of the earth was unknown at that time. Scientists were just beginning to study those unknowns. Columbus was a legend in his time. He theorized that the world was round, and set out to prove it, which he did by starting out and eventually ending up at the same point. That's when everyone finally took credence to his theory, which subsequently became a fact.

Answer 5

Better go do more research on your question it was not so much as common knowledge, but common believe. Since no one had ever sail west over the horizon the sailers of the time were scared to do so. Most sea travel of the time was within sight of the land along coast lines. Also at the time of Columbus, most of the commoners were uneducated and easily frighten by what they did not understand.

Answer 6

History is Boring to most people anyway , This way at least the teachers can keep the attention of the class for more than 10 minutes .

Answer 7

Your question doesn't make any sence.