Why did the Europeans think the earth is flat in 1600?

No one believed that the earth was flat in the 1600 it was a well know fact that the world was round.

This myth that people used to believe that the world was flat didn't exsist before 1870-1920.

The myth probably came to existance because it was way more intriguing that Colombus in a world where everyone thought was flat was the only one who believed it was round.