Originally Posted By: terrytnewzealand
Clint. I don't think people ever had "faith" the world was round. They had faith the earth was flat until it was proved otherwise.


Terry:
Read about Aristarchus of Samos.
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Aristarchus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristarchus_of_Samos

The narrow scientists of his day accused him of insane.

This, by Nick Greene, is interesting:

It is said that Nicolaus Copernicus, himself, at first credited Aristarchus in his treatise, "De revolutionibus caelestibus," In it he wrote, "Philolaus believed in the mobility of the earth, and some even say that Aristarchus of Samos was of that opinion." This line was crossed out prior to its publication.

As with his birth and life, little is known of his death. A crater on the moon is named for him, in its center is a peak which is the brightest formation on the Moon.