Follow the Needle: Seeking the Magnetic Poles

This article examines ideas about the Earth's magnetic poles up to the early 20th century. I first examine the quickening interest in Earth magnetism during the 16th and 17th centuries and lay out some parameters of discourse regarding the magnetic poles during the Scientific Revolution. Primary figures discussed include Robert Norman, William Gilbert, and Edmond Halley. I then discuss the efforts to understand the magnetic poles that came with the revival of interest in Earth magnetism in the 19th century. The central authors in this period were Christopher Hansteen, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Edward Sabine. I omit most 20th-century events, as they are too extensive and require separate treatment. The discussion ends with Roald Amundsen and Douglas Mawson's empirical studies of the magnetic poles and the setting of the stage for 20th-century investigations.