Who was the first person to discover the world was round?

Answer 1

It's generally believed to be Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician from Alexandria, about 200 BC. He knew that at the summer solstice, the sun appeared overhead at Syene (near modern-day Aswan) but not quite overhead at Alexandria. This led him to conclude that Earth is spherical (in reality, it's a bit flattened). Using the available measurement technologies, he derived a fairly reasonable estimate for the Earth's circumference as well.

Answer 2

Well, I know that Aristotle insisted that the Earth was a globe. It certainly wasn't Columbus- by then, it was commonly accepted that the Earth was round, but the *size* of the globe was uncertain. I needn't point this out, but Aristotle lived until 322 BC, quite some time before Columbus!

In many respects, you can work it out by considering the horizon: draw a curve and a ship on one end, with a high mast. On the other end of the curve draw a man, and a line between his eye and the apex of the curve. Now, let the ship approach the man: you can see how the mast will appear to him first, and how as the ship draws closer the man should be able to see more (the curve blocks his view of less of the ship). This is exactly what happens in real life, and shows how you don't need to go boating for 6000 miles or so to work out that the earth is curved.

Answer 3

Various biblical passages hint at a round earth. Including
Isaiah 40:21-22

'It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in'

The Greek astronomer Eratosthenes is credited with the first good measurement of the circumference of the Earth in 240 B.C.

Answer 4

Date: Thu Jan 31 13:54:41 2002
Posted By: Dan Berger, MadSci Administrator
Area of science: Science History
ID: 1011035598.Sh
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jan2002/1012504968.Sh.r.html
Nobody is sure who first deduced that the world is round. It is most likely that it was done by observing the Earth's shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse. Aristotle (384-322 BC) said that it was common knowledge, at least among the learned, so it's been known for at least 2,500 years.
........BUT.........
We do know that Eratosthenes of Cyrene was the first to accurately estimate the Earth's diameter, around 220 BC. How he did it is detailed at Astronomy Online.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jan2002/1012504968.Sh.r.html

Answer 5

Phillias Fogg.

Answer 6

Duh, Christopher Columbus in 1492. He had financial aid from Queen Issabella and King Ferdinad, the current royalty of that time in Spain, where he was from.

Answer 7

wasnt it Christopher Columbus?

Answer 8

the one & only..."God"

Answer 9

me j/k idk