It's a WaPo article that's a 12 minute read - https://archive.ph/C6mna
this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2025
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chapotraphouse
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The earliest known compasses humans used were called "zhi nan zhen," meaning "south pointing needle." It pointed south. European navigators using the technology inverted this so it would point north.
I guess, but those were really more of a divination tool, rather than a navigational one. They didn't start using them as a traditional compass until the 1100's.