Mystery AtlasSamuel Rowbotham
English writer who, under the pen name 'Parallax', published the 1849 pamphlet 'Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe' (expanded to a book in 1865), founding the modern flat-Earth movement.
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Connected to
How this topic links to the people, places, and ideas around it — drawn from our knowledge graph.
Theories & Explanations
Samuel Rowbotham popularised Flat Earth Claim.
Samuel Rowbotham popularised Ice Wall Claim — Rowbotham's 1865 'Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe' proposed a flat disc bounded along its southern edge by a wall of ice.
Organisations & Programmes
Samuel Rowbotham influenced Flat Earth Society — His 1849/1865 Zetetic Astronomy and the Universal Zetetic Society that followed his death directly inspired Shenton's 1956 revival.
Explored on these pages
Is There an Ice Wall Around the Edge of the Earth?
No credible evidence supports it. The claim traces to an 1865 pamphlet; here's its origin, what the Antarctic Treaty says, and the 2024 field test.
Why Do Flat Earth Arguments Persist Despite the Evidence?
Why flat-earth belief persists: the 1849 origin, the 1956 society, its 2010s YouTube revival, and the psychology behind it.