What is the Flat Earth Society?
Aristotle was one of the first Greek philosophers to announce the theory: "Planet Earth must be round." Later, the also Greek Eratosthenes came to calculate the approximate diameter of the planet - with minimal error, considering that the experiment was carried out more than 2, 200 years ago.
But then came the infamous Middle Ages, who, though an undeniable luminary in the arts and scholasticism, certainly left something to be desired in scientific methods. The earth was once again a slab - past even the semi-sphere supported by elephants and a giant tortoise that anchored the Babylonian cosmogony.
Well, but where does the infamous Flat Earth Society fit into this veritable "back and forth" jumble of theories about the planet's shapes and origins?
A stationary ship
The Flat Earth Society was founded in 1956 by composer Samuel Shenton. The flag raised was quite clear: the earth, in fact, is a huge plate. In the center is the South Pole and, at the edges, a huge, insurmountable frozen wall - naturally the South Pole.
It all started with an original invention that, however, did not attract as many spotlights when it awaited its creator. In the late 1920s, Shenton claimed to have invented a stationary flying vehicle. The concept was quite simple: the contraption would float above the surface, wait for the earth to turn to the west, and then land at a location of the same latitude.
The alleged inventor did not take long to realize that his creation did not attract the attention due to him. In addition, Shenton also discovered that another fellow, Archbishop Stevens, had already come up with the same concept. Stevens was friends with Lady Blount, the founder of the organization that would supply the germs to the Flatland Society.
Heirs of the Universal Zetetic Society
The Universal Zetetic Society was based on the writings of Samuel Rowbotham, author of the book "Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe." Based on a highly controversial interpretation of the so-called Bedford experiment - used in the late 19th century to precisely determine the shape of the earth - the author concluded that the planet was, after all, a huge round plate.
From the Zetetic Society, of course, there was a mission / guidance: "The spread of knowledge related to natural cosmogony, in accordance with Holy Scripture and based on practical scientific inquiry."
Samuel Shenton was instantly converted to the idea, more than welcome support for his hypothetical stationary flying vehicle. Shenton would then form his Flat Earth Society on the basis, in addition to “Zetetic” astronomy, of various interpretations of Genesis.
The sun and the moon up there
But the cosmogony proposed by Samuel Shenton was not just about the supposedly flat shape of the planet. In fact, Shenton also claimed that both the sun and moon were only 51 kilometers in diameter and floated, respectively, 4, 800 kilometers and 4, 100 kilometers above the earth's surface.
With the warming up of the space race, the counterpoint represented by Shenton eventually gained more and more notoriety. Following the revelation of the first satellite imagery of the Earth, for example, the creator of the flat Earth Society fired: "It's easy to see how a photo like this can fool an untrained eye."
Shenton's organization was also one of those who argued that the Apollo 11 moon landing was nothing but a hoax for the Hollywood film industry.
The present Flat Earth Society
Samuel Shenton was a very active activist, defending his theories of the shape of the earth in numerous clubs, student groups, and political societies, especially during the 1960s. It is reported that he never ignored an invitation to explain. loud and clear why the idea of a "spherical" land - an oblate spheroid, in fact - was a government conspiracy and a terrible heresy.
Seeing his health weaken, however, Shenton enlisted Charles K. Johnson for his move. Johson would lead him after the founder's death, bringing the society until 2001, when the activities were terminated - at least until 2004, when the Flatland Society came under the command of a new president: Daniel Shenton who, despite the surname, is not related to Samuel.
Recommended
