| The
first magnets were known as magnetite or lodestone. |
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| It is said
that a Cretan shepherd called Magnes first noticed lodestone
when the iron-tipped end of his crook was pulled down when he
passed a certain rock. |
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| The ancient
Greek scientist, Archimedes of the "Eureka!" fame is believed
to have used lodestone to pull nails from enemy ships, which
then sank. |
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| Sailors used
lodestone to help them navigate. They had found that when a piece
of magnetite was suspended from a thread it came to rest in a
North-South direction. |
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