The magnetic properties of magnetite, the lodestone used in compasses, have been known for thousands of years, but it was not until the 12th century that Chinese navigators began using the mineral in compasses to help sailors find magnetic north. Early compasses consisted of a magnetized bar or needle floating in a dish of water. More advanced instruments placed the needle on a pivot so it hovered above a card bearing a compass rose, whose points correlated to the Temple of the Winds devised by the ancient Greeks.
Compasses were popularized in the 15th century by Portuguese sailors, whose instruments sometimes featured magnetized cards that pivoted rather than needles. Other compasses were designed to be read from below, say by a sailor laying in his bunk. By the 16th century, the world’s greatest European compass makers were based in Nuremberg and Bruges.
As navigation aids, compasses are certainly better than nothing, but they are not without their shortcomings. The first problem is that magnetic north and true north are not the ...
And then there is the sea itself, which practically guarantees that a compasses will never be read at rest and perfectly horizontal. To solve this problem, gimbals were devised to keep the compass constantly suspended; the compass was typically placed within a binnacle which housed the gimbal and supported other instruments. By the 20th century, this technology was improved upon and adapted to automobiles, which were outfitted with compasses to help drivers find their way on unmarked roads.
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Alloy Artifacts

A tool collectors’ dream, this site is a deep repository of photos and info on 20th century hand tools and the co… [read review or visit site]
Old Woodworking Machines

This collective website, which started as an online discussion forum, now also includes a large database of manufac… [read review or visit site]
Drainspotting

Josh and Cam Larios have created this site enabling people to upload and 'tag' photos of historic or artistic manho… [read review or visit site]
A Millers Falls Home Page

Randy Roeder has carved out a niche for himself with his fine website devoted to the history of the Millers Falls C… [read review or visit site]
If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
Jockeying for Position: How Boxers and Briefs Got Into Men's Pants
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords
'The Great Gatsby' Still Gets Flappers Wrong
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
Forget TV Pickers, Meet the Real Mavericks of the Antiques World
Coveting The Craziest Cat-People Collectibles


by 
by 