A flat earther couple from Venice believes that "the edge of the world" was near Lampedusa. In their quest to prove the flat earth theory and see for themselves the edge of the world, they decided to sell their car and buy a boat in Sicily to sail towards the edge of the world.
However, the flat earther couple only reached up to the island of Ustica as they were rescued by a maritime doctor in a migrant rescue vessel. The couple violated some regulations during the lockdown, so they are now forced to quarantine from which they have tried to escape twice.
Flat earthers are people who believe that the Earth is flat rather than round despite scientific evidence, such as photos and videos taken by NASA astronauts, and scientific explanations proving that the earth is round.
Flat Earther Couple Journeys to "The Edge of the World"
A maritime doctor who usually saves migrants rescued a flat earther couple who tried to sail to "the edge of the world," which they believe was in Lampedusa, an island between Sicily and North Africa. It is known as the main transit for migrants illegally entering Europe.
Flat earther believers think that they can find the edge of the world near that island and wanted to see it. However, they got lost near the island of Ustica, off the north coast of Sicily, so they never made it there.
The maritime doctor from the Ministry of Health, Dr. Salvatore Zichichi, was able to rescue the couple. Ironically, the flat earther couple was using a compass in their failed navigation, something that they should not believe in or be using.
"The funny thing is that they orient themselves with the compass, an instrument that works based on terrestrial magnetism, a principle that as Flat Earthers should reject," says Dr. Zichichi.
Since the flat earther couple broke the lockdown rules, they were taken into quarantine for two weeks in Palermo. But it seems it did not sit well with the couple as they tried to escape only for the port authorities to stop them three hours later and bring them back into quarantine.
Then for the second time, they tried escaping but were again caught. Finally, they agreed to the two-week quarantine and no longer resisted. As they took a ferry back to mainland Italy, the flat earther couple have since abandoned their quest to see the edge of the world.
READ: Earth Was Flat & Dull 4.4 Billion Years Ago, Zircon Grains Reveal
The Flat Earth Theory
Believers of the Flat Earth Theory think that the Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle (North Pole) at the center, and Antarctica (South Pole) is a 150-foot-tall wall of ice around the rim.
Believers of this theory are called "flat earthers," and they claim that NASA protects those that try to climb the ice walls and fall from the disc. They believe that gravity does not exist and that it is only an illusion created by scientists. They also believe that objects do not fall, but rather, they are driven up by the dark energy, which is a mysterious force.
Moreover, they also think that GPS devices and maps are fake as well as the moon landing in 1959 and the International Space Station (ISS). Psychologists explain that the primary social influence in these people is groupthink, social reinforcement form like-minded people in which their opinions are respected and justified and make them feel sane.
Despite scientific evidence proving they are wrong, the human brain and various psychological concepts show how these beliefs can persist due to groupthink and biases.
READ MORE: Earth: As Flat as an Ellipsoid Can Be
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