Magnets were not invented, but rather were found from a naturally occurring mineral called magnetite. Traditionally, the ancient Greeks were the discoverers of magnetite. There is a story about a shepherd named Magnes whose shoe nails stuck to a rock containing magnetite. The Greeks discovered naturally occurring magnets of magnetite in Turkey. Magnetite has a large deposits in Scandinavia. The Vikings invented the first practical magnetic compass and used it extensively in their travels to colonize. This enabled them to cross oceans to reach the New World and to invade England at will, even in the dense fog but they kept the magnetic compass a secret. The Chinese also invented the magnetic compass. After commercial trade with China was started by the Italians, especially after Marco Polo’s trip, the magnetic compass was introduced to the rest of Europe. This made possible the exploration of the oceans by the Europeans, although the Norsemen had a monopoly for almost 500 years and thus a big head-start. Today all ships, large and small, use magnetic compasses to navigate.
Magnet
