In 1892 Alexander Gleason, a flat earther, published a time calculator. He called it “New Standard Map of the World : on the Projection of J. S. Christopher, Modern College, Blackheath, England ; Scientifically and Practically Correct ; as “it is.”
The map is an Azimuthal Equidistant Projection from the Globe. This is made clear in the description on the top of the map and in the patent application. This type of projection is not new, though. There is an AE projection dating back to 1587. Link 2. Strike one for “Scientifically and Practically Correct”.
The description claims to be “Scientifically and Practically Correct”. Although this is nothing more than a claim, flat earthers somehow treat this claim as words from God and trust them as infallible.
The description itself is incorrect. It’s not from “J. S. Christopher, Modern College, Blackheath, England”, a college, a modern institution of higher learning. It’s from MORDEN College. Notice the corrected spelling. A retirement home1. J. S. Christopher was a resident at the retirement home around the time when Gleason published the map2. It still exists today. Strike two for the “Scientifically and Practically Correct” claim.
J. S. Christopher seems to have written a book himself in 1850, “Natal, Cape of Good Hope” which includes some maps. It could be that J. S. Christopher had some experience creating maps. Link 1, link 2, link 3.
Regardless, the “Gleason’s Map” is a projection from the globe. Some flat earthers try to claim that the globe is a projection from Gleason’s Map. Even though there are globes that exist centuries before Gleason’s map, and even pre-dating any known similar AE map. This is never supported with evidence. Only unsubstantiated claims.
Footnotes
- See the book “Is The World Flat” by Robin Trabusco
- Research on J. S Christopher living at Morden College by by geckothegeek on The Flat Earth Society forums.
MCToon 