Several centuries ago, in Greece (Asia minor at that time), a special type of stone was found. This stone attracted pieces of iron. It is said that, there was a shepherd named Magnes, who lived in ancient Greece. He used to take his herd of sheep and goats to the nearby mountains for grazing. He would take a stick with him to control his herd. The stick had a small piece of iron attached at one end. One day he was surprised to find that he had to pull hard to free his stick from a rock on the mountainside. It seemed as if the stick was being attracted by the rock. The rock was a natural magnet and it attracted the iron tip of the shepherd’s stick. Such rocks were given the name magnetite. This is how natural magnets were discovered.
