A stone monument in Ecuador that was constructed between 1979 and 1982 to mark the “Middle of the World.” (Ecuador is on the equator.) Since the construction, satellites
have determined that the monument is off by about 984 feet. The position for construction of this landmark, again, begun in 1979, was based off measurements taken during
the 1736 French Geodesic Mission. Mitad Del Mundo translates to “like, basically halfway point … basically … of the world.”
Foreman: Right here!
Worker: Wow! How do you know?
Foreman (laughs condescendingly): It involves some pretty complex math, friend, I can’t explain all of it to you.
Worker: Would you mind trying?
Foreman (looks nervous): Uh … well … You look at the position of the stars, and … the sun … to … calculate … the Earth’s velocity … circumnavigationally … As I said, it’s pretty complex. I don’t remember all the right words, but I can see the numbers in my head. The numbers originally came from some French math mission, so they are pretty reliable.
Worker: Oh wow. Did the French just come through here a few years ago?
Foreman: Ah … no. It was … Over two hundred years ago.
Worker: Wow! And we matched that with current math to double check?
Foreman: No … We feel confident in those numbers.
Worker: From the 1800s?
Foreman: No, actually, from the 1700s.
Foreman: …Start digging!