Where Martians Roam

Why did early-twentieth-century astronomers believe life existed on Mars?

Mars. By European Southern Observatory / M. Kornmesser — https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1509a/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45343974

The recent landings of two Martian rovers — the Perseverance (US) and Zhurong (China) — have turned the earth’s attention back to our celestial neighbor. Although we would be amazed if one of these high-tech explorers uncovered traces of life on the red planet, such a discovery would not have rattled…