The history of the compass will be interesting not only to specialists. The compass can be safely entered into the list of the greatest discoveries of mankind. Thanks to him, cartography was later created, allowing a person to learn about new habitats. It is to the compass that we owe the discovery of America. Indeed, before its appearance, travelers were guided only by stars and geographical objects. But the mentioned landmarks were highly dependent on the weather. Ordinary clouds could easily disarm the traveler. Since the invention of the compass, these problems have disappeared. But the story of the compass requires a more detailed story. Well, let's get started!
Compass: the story of its discovery
The word "compass" comes from the old British "compass", meaning "circle". Most modern historians claim that the compass was invented in China in the 1st century. BC e. Although there is evidence that this device existed in the 2nd millennium BC. e. In any case, then the compass was a small piece of magnetized metal that was attached to a wooden plank in a vessel of water. Such a compass was used when driving through deserts. Astrologers also used it.
The history of the compass discovery says that in the Arab world it appeared in the VIII century, and in European countries - only in the XII century. The Italians were the first to adopt the named device from Arabs. Then the compass began to use the Spaniards, Portuguese and French. The Germans and the British were the last to know about the new device. But even at that time, the compass device remained as simple as possible: the magnetic needle was fixed on the cork and dropped into the water. It was in water that the cork, supplemented by an arrow, was oriented accordingly. In the XI century. all in the same China, a compass needle appeared, which was made of an artificial magnet. As a rule, it was made in the form of a fish.
The history of the compass was continued in the XIV century. The baton was taken by the Italian F. Joya, who was able to significantly improve this device. In particular, he decided to put a magnetic needle on a vertical hairpin. This simple, at first glance, device helped significantly improve the compass. In addition, a reel was attached to the arrow, divided into 16 points. Two centuries later, the division of the coil was 32 rumba, and the box with the arrow began to be placed in a special gimbal. Thus, the pitching of the ship ceased to affect the compass. In the XVII century. the compass was equipped with a rotating ruler, which helped to more accurately count the direction. In the XVIII century. he got a direction finder.
But the story does not end there. In 1838, a method was found to neutralize the effect of the ship’s iron products on this device. And in 1908 a gyrocompass appeared, which became the main navigation device. It is he who always points to the north. Today, the exact direction of movement can be found using satellite navigation, however, many ships are equipped with
magnetic compasses. They are used for additional verification or in case of technical problems. Thus, the history of the compass is not even hundreds, but thousands of years old.