Something Strange Happens When You Flatten the Earth…

What this episode covers

Thank you to Squarespace for supporting PBS. Go to https://www.squarespace.com/besmart for a free trial and use code BESMART to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Follow me to @pbsterra and watch Overview to celebrate Earth Month with PBS: https://youtu.be/ivoV1rwiYJkPBS Earth Month Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1F8ofFm4H9UTrHxqU8zngK4Imprisoned for heresy, Gerardus Mercator later created a map that transformed navigation forever. We explore why his projection distorts the world, how it solved a deadly problem for sailors, and the astonishing mystery of how he used math that hadn’t even been invented yet to do it all.Be Smart explores science questions you didn’t even know you wondered about. It is hosted and produced by Joe Hanson, PhD. We post new videos all the time, so please subscribe! If you enjoyed this video, hit the ‘like’ button, leave a comment, or watch another of our videos!References: https://sites.google.com/view/mercator-mystery-references/home0:00 A Prisoner of the Inquisition1:52 The Navigation Crisis4:22 Who Was This Mercator Guy, Anyway?8:02 Globes & Heresy10:45 Why Flat Maps Are Mathematically Impossible13:27 The Math Mystery Behind the Mercator Map16:11 How Mercator Used Math That Didn't Exist Yet19:40 You're Using This Map Right Now22:56 Is This Map Harmful?CONNECT WITH ME____________________________________Website: https://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart/ https://www.instagram.com/drjoehanson/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/itsokaytobesmart A big thanks to our Brain Trust patrons: Baerbel Winkler, Brent Lopez, dani bowman, David Johnston, Ed Eyden, Eric Meer, Greg Olson, Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion, Jaap Westera, Karen Haskell, Marcus Pingel, Mike and Patty Loftis, Paul Weir, Reuben BrewerSPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES____________________________________Please email [email protected] video and images provided by Shutterstock, Artlist, and MotionArrayMusic provided by APMWritten Joe HansonEdited by Steven SimoneProduced by Least Square Media and Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode is 26 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 28, 2026.

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Thank you to Squarespace for supporting PBS. Go to https://www.squarespace.com/besmart for a free trial and use code BESMART to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Follow me to @pbsterra and...

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