What you learned in school
History textbooks portrayed medieval Europeans as ignorant people who believed the Earth was flat like a dinner plate. Students learned that Columbus faced opposition from churchmen and scholars who feared his ships would sail off the edge. This "Dark Ages" narrative was taught to contrast medieval ignorance with modern scientific enlightenment.
What we know now
History textbooks often taught that people in the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat, and that Columbus's voyage was controversial because people feared he would sail off the edge. This was used to illustrate medieval ignorance versus modern knowledge. Educated people in medieval Europe knew the Earth was round. Ancient Greek calculations of Earth's circumference were known to medieval scholars. The spherical Earth was taught in universities and accepted by the Catholic Church. The flat Earth myth about medieval times was largely created by 19th-century writers to contrast medieval "ignorance" with modern "enlightenment."