Something Strange Happens When You Flatten the Earth…
Be Smart
Apr 21, 2026 17:03
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Follow me to @pbsterra and watch Overview to celebrate Earth Month with PBS: https://youtu.be/ivoV1rwiYJk
PBS Earth Month Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1F8ofFm4H9UTrHxqU8zngK4
Imprisoned 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/home
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Stock video and images provided by Shutterstock, Artlist, and MotionArray
Music provided by APM
Written Joe Hanson
Edited by Steven Simone
Produced by Least Square Media and Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios
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