The Flat Earth Movement refers to a group of people who believe that planet Earth is flat - as opposed to the accepted modern idea that our planet is spherical. Despite living in an age that can take photographs of our spherical planet from space, flat-earthers" maintain that the world is a plane. Indeed, they believe that the idea of a spherical earth is a "conspiracy."

The first accurate calculation made of the earth's circumference was made by Eratosthenes of Cyrene in 240 BC.BBC News: Do they really think the earth is flat?(August 4, 2008)

1. 330 BC Aristotle shows evidence of our globular planetBBC News: Do they really think the earth is flat?(August 4, 2008)
2. Bede's working in 8th Century AD accepted globular earthBBC News: Do they really think the earth is flat?(August 4, 2008)
3. 1956: Samuel Shelton founds Flat Earth Society
4. Based theory on common sense and personal observation
5. Called evidence for a spherical earth "dogmatic"HowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society
6. Shelton claimed photos of the earth taken by satellites were fakeHowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society
7. Believed dissenters from flat earth theory were part of a conspiracyHowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society
8. 1971: Shelton diedHowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society
9. Charles Johnson became leader of Flat Earth SocietyHowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society
10. Johnson died in 2001 and the society diedHowStuffWorks: Theory 3: Flat Earth Society

Samuel Shelton and other believers in Flat Earth briefly gained an unexepected advocate in the form of TV personality Sherri Shepherd. On the daytime TV show The View, Whoopi Goldberg asked co-host Shepherd whether she thought the world was flat. Shepherd responded that she didn't know and had never thought about it.MSNBC: What the hell is wrong with ‘The View’?(September 24, 2007)