International Flat Earth Research Society

The International Flat Earth Research Society (IFERS) in its modern incarnation was founded by Eric Dubay in 2014.

History
The original IFERS was founded in 1956 by Samuel Shenton, and then run by Charles K Johnson after Shenton's death in 1971. He and his wife Marjory released a periodical for several years on many flat Earth topics, such as geocentricity and flaws in NASA's claims.

He had a strong dislike for the Canadian Flat Earth Society run by Leo Ferarri, an organisation created for the purposes of parody that did not focus on any scientific aspects but rather published satirical articles that proposed Flat Earth Theory as the answer to social ills such as racism. After attempts to reach out failed, Johnson condemned them repeatedly for 'muddying the waters of truth.'

In 1995, Johnson's home burned down and many of the materials and references he and Shenton had collected were lost. Until his death in 2001, Johnson maintained this was arson.

In late 2014, Eric Dubay published 'The Flat Earth Conspiracy,' and created a website to succeed Shenton and Johnson's society.

Controversy
Dubay's forum has been accused of overzealous banning of users in disagreement of Dubay, accusing many of being shills. A user by the name of Acenci is considered one of the most notable, having gone from a staff member of the IFERS forum to a vocal critic and founder of other, less successful forums in opposition.

Associated Models
Density (Gravity)