History of the Compass

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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The compass is an instrument used for navigation; it generally has a magnetic needle that points toward the earth's magnetic North Pole. The magnetic compass has been in existence for nearly a thousand years and is the most common type of compass. The gyroscopic compass is far less common than a magnetic compass.


The earliest compasses were most likely invented by the Chinese in around 1050 BCE. They were created first for the purposes of spiritual life or developing a feng shui environment and then later used for navigation. It is disputed whether other cultures, such as some Mesoamerican societies, may have developed the idea for the magnetized compass first, also in accordance for spiritual aligning and not navigation.


Compasses were originally developed when lodestones, a mineral that has naturally magnetized iron ore, were suspended above a board with the ability to pivot and turn. It was discovered that the stones would always point in the same direction, and align themselves with the north/south axis of the earth.