http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_Earth
A quick "answer key" based on my quiz questions is in order, however:
1. When was a round Earth model first proposed?
By Pythagoras for simply aesthetic reasons sometime in the 6th Century BC--he was born c. 570 and died c. 507. The first person to posit a round Earth for scientific reasons was Aristotle, basing his conclusion in part on astronomical data such as the position of constellations when seen from various locales.
2. When did the spherical Earth gain wide acceptance?
By the 1st Century AD at the latest...Pliny the Elder took it for granted in his writings, and he died in 79 AD.
3. Where does the Bible say the earth is flat?
Trick question! The Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing (Job 26: 7) and is circular (Isaiah 40:22).
4. Obviously given the answer to question 2, people of Columbus' day knew the Earth was round. So where'd we get the idea that they didn't?
From Wikipedia: "The modern misconception that people of the Middle Ages believed that the Earth was flat first entered the popular imagination in the nineteenth century, thanks largely to the publication of Washington Irving's fantasy The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1828."
Hey, Mr. S, thanks for the Biblical/history lesson.
Thanks for the information. I will definitely be checking it out.