Flat Earth Society (n.) - The
International Flat Earth Society was created in 1956 by the English man, Samuel Shenton. They argued that the Earth is actually flat. It was believed by members and non-members alike that the Apollo moon landings were a hoax and were made up by NASA in order to get ahead in the space race against Russia. The Honorable Samuel Shenton died in 1971. Charles K. Johnson became the new president of the Flat Earth Society. Consequently, the Society was moved to Lancaster, California. Under Johnson's leadership, the Society grew from a few members to around 3,000 worldwide. The Society believes that humans live on a disc. A good portion believes that
the North Pole is at its center and there is a 150-foot (~45 meter) high wall of ice at the
outer edge (generally believed to be the so-called Antartica). The resulting map resembles the symbol of the
United Nations, something Johnson used as evidence for his position. In this model, the sun and moon are each a mere 32 miles (52 km) in diameter. The Honorable Charles K. Johnson died on March 19, 2001, leaving the Society without a leader. This was the end of the Flat Earth Society as we knew it. It now only exists through the remaining believers, but there is no official
organization like before. There are some websites dedicated to the Society, but stand mostly for parodical purposes.