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Posted by on Jan 12, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

What Were the First Magnets?

What Were the First Magnets?

The first magnets were stones found in ancient times near the city of magnesia in Syria. The stones were a type of iron ore called magnetite. Traditionally, the ancient Greeks were the discoverers of magnetite. This hard black mineral has the property of attracting other bits of iron. It is an iron oxide that is easily magnetized when it forms.

Magnetite is also known as Lodestone. Today’s steel magnets are far stronger than pieces of magnetite.

Magnets are dangerous if they are not handled with care, and the danger increases, the more powerful the magnet gets. Everything is relative, but everybody could potentially choke if a magnet were stuck in their throat. There are different uses of magnets and some needs warnings.

The early Greeks called this iron ore (magnes, there is a story about a shepherd named Magnes whose shoe nails stuck to a rock containing magnetite), from which our modern words, magnet and magnetism, are derived.

Long ago, people found that magnetite would point to the north and south when the stone was hung from a string.

This major discovery made compasses possible. The Vikings invented the first practical magnetic compass and used it extensively in their travels to colonize or in war. This enabled them to cross oceans to reach the new world and to invade England at will, even in the dense fog. The Vikings kept the existence of the magnetic compass a secret.

The Chinese also invented the magnetic compass, probably earlier than the Vikings. 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, and still all ships large and small use magnetic compasses to navigate.

Content for this question contributed by Michael Richman, resident of Albany, New York, USA