The Insane Cult Leader Who Lived Inside The Earth

As the 20th century approached, our understanding of the natural world and of the cosmos was increasing at a more rapid pace than any time in the history of science. We were building on our knowledge of asteroids, the discovery of Neptune, and understanding the transit of Venus, and science fiction like Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was taking our imagination deep inside our own planet.

But one man rejected the long march of seemingly-irrefutable scientific progress. The cult leader Cyrus Teed was convinced that we weren't living amidst a complex solar system, and that we weren't on top of the Earth at all. Cyrus Teed thought that we were living inside the Earth.

Teed's Koreshan movement focused on the concept of a hollow earth, and he set out to prove scientifically that we were living on a concave surface inside of a giant hollow ball. From the religious awakenings of Upstate New York to Chicago to a swamp in Florida, Cyrus Teed gained converts who believed in his science and his religion. But did the rectilineator Teed built to conduct his painstaking measurements prove that we're really living inside, or did they just prove that Teed and his followers were insane?

#popularscience #science #education

[NoFace-jpdk]

Teed isn't dead. He's just slow at resurrecting.

[BaronVonQuiply]

_"People used to not know that mental disorders were a thing"_ explains a lot more about history than anyone wants to realize.

[TheMeatySurprise]

A decade ago I would have never thought Vsauce 2 would be the one to outlive the other two.

[JakeMatthews-OnLo]

Popular among women, so my first thought was “how long till he forms a Harem” and yup.

[HOLDENPOPE]

Wait this guy turned a Flat-Earther into a Concave-Earther?

[typemasters]

Despite the leader being a grifter it sounds like most of the Koreshan community were less gullible/stubborn individuals and more so individuals that saw the Koreshan community as an escape from whatever life they had prior (May it be a loveless marriage, abusive marriage, escaping persecution, or any other valid reason)

[brainflash]

I remember they used the "Hollow Earth" Theory in Kong: Skull Island.

[hassanrao]

When you're in a giving existential crisis competition and your opponent is Vsauce

[Peteypete]

Kevin, thankyou for being the last remaining bastion of Vsauce

[peterflatland]

The really insane thing is, he is right we all live inside the world.

[OrionLoki]

"Bring out your dead!"
"Im not dead yet..." 0:50

[Nikolas_Davis]

At least Teed was willing to put his Hollow Earth hypothesis to the test. That's more than can be said for today's flat earthers.

[john-wiggains]

I love popular science growing up. I’m so glad to hear you’re doing stuff for them. That’s awesome. Subscribed.

[aaronlosey]

No way! I used to get popular science as a kid! I really missed it actually. This is huge. You're perfect for the role as well. Thank you so much!

[fernandoferreira]

Didn't expect the philosophical musings at the end. Nicely put.

[BrandonBurch]

This cult was so outlandish I had to double check to make sure this wasn't uploaded on April fools 😂

[bunnygirl]

Teed seems to have read one too many Jules Verne Books

[Codexionyx]

23:06 And here I am, not just accepting it, but taking it in stride. Somehow, the enormity of existence sparks wonder, and a desire to expand our boundaries further. For me, existence can't get big enough. It might not be much of a surprise that my favorite stories are those set on incomprehensibly large scales, and still hunger for bigger.
Perhaps I'm weird. Maybe I'm not as comfortable with such tremendous scale as I think. Whatever it is, I am tremendously glad to have it. Suddenly, so many problems feel surmountable, so many quarrels trivial, and yet I can take it all in.

[archlich]

25:02 "We live inside the DREAM."
-David Lynch (Twin Peaks movie)

[ShihTzuPosting]

Dr. Mike just uploaded a video interviewing a man trying to live forever yesterday too.