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News Flash! The Earth Revolves Around the Sun – and 25% of Americans Didn’t Know That

WEB Dumb or Numb

Lex McKee

Brantly Millegan - published on 02/17/14

Residents of the European Union fared even worse in a similar survey, with 1 in 3 thinking the sun revolves around the earth.

Newsflash: with existensive evidence amassed over centuries, scientists have proven that despite all appearances the earth revolves around the sun rather than the other way around.

Not news to you? That's because you're a part of the 75%.

Last week, we learned that half of Americans think astrology is scientific. This week, we learn that 1 in 4 Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth.

That's the incredible results of a new National Science Foundation survey of 2,200 Americans, in which they asked basic questions about scientific knowledge.

How is it possible that someone in the United States doesn't know that the earth revolves around the sun? Even if they never attended school, it's hard to believe someone wouldn't know it simply from popular culture.

Americans might be slightly comforted knowing that they actually fared better than Europeans: 1 in 3 residents of the European Union think the sun revolves around the earth.

Hearing about people's incredible ignorance can be disheartening, but at least it can also be funny:

Brantly Milleganis an Assistant Editor for Aleteia. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Editor of Second Nature, Co-Director of the International Institute for the Study of Technology and Christianity, and is working on a M.A. in Theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He lives with his wife and children in South St. Paul, MN. His personal website is brantlymillegan.com.

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