“Whilst we sit drinking our cup of tea or coffee the world is supposedly rotating at 1,039 mph at the equator, whizzing around the Sun at 66,500 m.p.h., hurtling towards Lyra at 20,000 m.p.h., revolving around the centre of the 'Milky Way' at 500,000 m.p.h. and merrily moving at God knows what velocity as a consequence of the 'Big Bang.' And not even a hint of a ripple on the surface of our tea, yet tap the table lightly with your finger and ... !" -- Neville T. Jones

“Ninety-nine people out of a hundred would give the same answer to the interrogation; and that same answer would be to the effect that ‘the earth is a globe which revolves round the sun.’ The ninety-nine who makes this reply would do it because they ‘know it is the case.’ (!!!) ‘How do they know it?’ Let this question be put to them, and they will bestow upon you a withering smile of pity at what they conceive to be an imbecility of mind on your part, and answer you in something like the following style: ‘It always has been so. We learnt it at school. Clever men say so; and look how astronomers can foretell eclipses;’ and then lose their temper at ‘the very idea’ of the globular theory being incorrect, and a haughty ‘there can’t be a doubt about it,’ will close all they have to say on the subject. Now, if the ears of these ninety-nine could only be gained, they would be shown in an irresistible manner that the philosophy which would speak of a round and revolving world is a false philosophy.” -- B. Chas. Brough, July 1872