Mars - Giovanni Schiaparelli

During the late 1800s Mars became the topic of a debate that would go on for decades. The controversy was sparked by the observations of an Italian astronomer named Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835–1910). He created some of the first maps of the planet and assigned names to prominent features. Schiaparelli's naming system relied on place names taken from the Bible and ancient mythology.

Schiaparelli said he saw straight lines on the Martian surface and called them canali. In Italian canali could mean either channels or canals. Many people interpreted the word to mean that there were artificial canals on Mars. The Suez Canal had recently been constructed in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Obviously if there were artificial canals on Mars, they had been built by Martians.

Some other Mars observers also reported seeing the canals and claimed they connected dark and light patches on the planet. This reinforced the mistaken idea that the patches were areas of land and water.