The first applications of magnets were as navigation devices. When naturally occurring magnetic rocks were freely suspended, they would always rotate to a particular direction. These rocks were called lodestones, (from the word lode which means way or journey). The lodestone was used to magnetise a needle. The needle was then placed on a piece of wood which was floated in water. This allowed it to rotate to indicate the direction of the north pole. Chinese sailors were among the first to make use of these devices for navigation. The lodestones also had the ability to attract some types of metallic objects, but at the time their application for navigation was far more significant. We now know that the properties of lodestones are due to magnetised metallic particles contained in the rock.
