[dhosek]

One of the incorrect things about Columbus that I was taught in second grade was that he had trouble getting support for his voyage because his would-not-be patrons thought the earth was flat. In fact, they refused to fund him because he thought the earth was much smaller than it was and they had the correct size of the earth.

[buescher]

It’s historically rooted in Protestant anti-Catholicism, and the most popular version in America of it comes from Washington Irving.

[cryptonector]

I was taught the same thing by Catholics in Buenos Aires.

[buescher]

Well, now you know where they got it from.

[cryptonector]

Maaaybe. I've not seen any strong evidence for that. It's also possible that multiple groups independently came to think that smearing Columbus' detractors was a useful thing for them to do.

[deepsun]

I wonder how many would-be Columbuses were before him and failed.