We have all sorts of evidence that has arisen showing maps of the coastlines of every continent including Antarctica well before they were said to be "discovered". We have evidence of Vikings, Phonecians, Egyptians, and others making it the the Americas way before Columbus supposedly "discovered" it. I often find myself wondering if how that is possible may have been in the documents at Alexandria.
So much was lost.
Yet the attitude that caused that loss still exists today. History should not be censored or edited, PERIOD.
@dwinblood We do have something in-between. I recently started a series on American history. I think the first one should be up your alley. It has a map which is now in the Library of Congress and a blow-up of a segment. If this does not put a smile on your face then come and get your money back.
Thanks. I read it, up voted it, and resteemed it... not all parts just your most recent, but keep it up. Good stuff, and useful information to be storing on the blockchain. Especially in this time where erasing history seems to be a thing that is in vogue.
"So much was lost" is right!
Myself, I am convinced that there is no curve, from experiments others have done which I have been able to repeat. I think the "Azimuthal Equidistant" map may be the right one. East-to-west circumnavigation works on that map, since the north pole is in the center, and thus as you're traveling east, you end up making minor course corrections the entire way so that you end up going in a circle, returning to where you started from.
Never in the course of history has anybody done a north-to-south circumnavigation -- and that's an important data point!
I believe they haven't made a north to south navigation primarily due to how dangerous the north and south poles are to most forms of travel. There are also not easy refueling locations for those.