A bronze Chinese cannon cast in 1332 is the oldest ... to be used for sea navigation for the first time. The invention of the compass promoted maritime undertakings, and its use soon spread ...

Until the arrival of GPS, the magnetic compass was the single most useful navigational tool available to humans. But it’s a recent invention. Although Chinese explorers understood the principles of ...

Primarily, the compass was used for geomancy for a long time before it was used for navigation Ancient Chinese alchemists realized that the magnetite ore would point towards a magnetic north. Their ...