What's really amazing is how calumny works: the bigger the better. It's very likely nobody, since men walked the earth, who gave it a moment's thought ever bel

What's really amazing is how calumny works: the bigger the better. It's very likely nobody, since men walked the earth, who gave it a moment's thought ever believed the earth to be flat; it's absolutely certain nobody in Europe or the Middle East post Aristotle ever believed it either (as many comments already point out). And yet, a myth invented in the 19th century to make fun of "medieval times" and the Catholic Church is still around today, and needs to be constantly refuted. I think it works because it flatters us, making us feel sooo superior to those ancient characters that must have been sooo stupid and smug. Well, in this case at least, we're the smugs and the stupids.