According to ancient Greek legend, magnetism was discovered when a young shepherd named Magnes found that the iron nails in his sandal stuck to a certain stone.  In honor of his discovery, these stones were called magnetite (see how their names are similar?)

Pieces of magnetite were called lodestones, and used by Greek, Roman and Chinese sailors on ships as primitive compasses.  The word lodestone means “leading stone”, meaning the stone leads you in a certain direction.

Natural magnetite is a black mineral found in many rocks. The world’s biggest deposits are in Sweden.

Today, most magnets are made artificially from other metals that have been treated.