The first compass was invented more than 2000 years ago. The first compasses were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized stone similar to iron. The compass was only used for navigation in the Chinese Song Dynasty, as described by Shen Kuo. Later compasses were made from iron needles, magnetized by hitting them with lodestone, making them the north-facing compasses we all know and love.
Before compasses, humans mainly relied on the use of landmarks and the positions of the stars to get around. There have been records of ancient devices having been found in the Indus Valley. They were described as Viking tools and they used some sort of material to determine the sun's location in the sky judging from the polarization of the daylight.
There has been some debate as to where the compass was invented, but most sources seem to point towards China as being the inventor of the compass. After all, it was the Song Dynasty when the compass was first used. Other reports name Europe as the inventor of the compass, because an old magnetic model dates back to the area. It may just remain another historical dispute, as there are other countries that claim ownership of the compass.
Fun Facts:
- The Chinese also invented an extremely early form of compass called the south-facing spoon. It, as you may have guessed, was used for navigation.
- During World War II, compasses were smuggled to the prisoners of war in the form of razor blades and shirt buttons to help them escape.
- The first Chinese compass needle was a tadpole.
The south-facing spoon:
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