The History of Magnetism 

First, let’s get into the history of magnetism and how it appeared in the ancient world. Magnetism was first discovered when people noticed that lodestones, naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite, could attract iron. The word magnet comes from the Greek term magnētis lithos, or the Magnesian stone, lodestone. A lodestone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron. Pieces of lodestone were the first magnetic compasses, and their importance to early navigation is indicated by the name lodestone, which in Middle English means “course stone” or “leading stone,” from the word lode, which means “journey” or “way.”

The 11th-century Chinese scientist Shen Kuo was the first person to write about the magnetic needle compass and how it improved the accuracy of navigation by employing the astronomical concept of true north. By the 12th century, the Chinese were known to use the lodestone compass for navigation. They sculpted a directional spoon from lodestone in such a way that the handle of the spoon always pointed south.