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The first map was made in 200 B.C.
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The first compass was believed to have originated from China, probably first made between 221 - 206 B.C. Chinese fortune tellers at that time used lodestones (a type of metal) to construct their fortune telling boards. Eventually, someone realised that lodestones were better at pointing out real directions. This led to the first compass. The compass was designed on a square slab, with markings for the cardinal points. The needle was a spoon-shaped lodestone, with a handle that pointed south.
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Magnetised needles began replacing the spoon-shaped lodestones in 700 A.D. This was also believed to have come from China.
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The recent discovery of an Iceland Spar on a ship sunk in 1592 gives evidence to the fact that the Vikings used the Iceland Spar in their marine navigation.
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In Europe, 1669, Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin discovered and studied the double refraction in calcite. The Iceland Spar is made of calcite, and when it is tilted at exactly the right angle, it can show the position of the sun.
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The First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788. They travelled from England to Australia. Along the way, they stopped at various towns to resupply the ships. Their navigators planned the route well, with the ships travelling to Rio de Janeiro so they could catch the westerly winds to Australia.
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Radio was first developed in the late 1800s. It allowed people to communicate over long distances.
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The first orienteering competition was held in 1918. Major Ernst Killander was the inventor of the first orienteering event. He saw that the Swedish army troops needed more exercise, but instead of making them march around, he set about inventing a game in the Swedish forest. With this game of orienteering, the soldiers could get some exercise and sharpen navigation skills at the same time.
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In 1934, researchers in the Naval Research Laboratory began investigating the way radio signals bounced off objects, after noticing the way ships on a river interfered with radio signals being sent to the other side.
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In 1934, Robert Page developed a pulse radar that could detect aircraft.
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22 satellites were launched at the start of the program in 1978. These satellites are no longer in operation, as they are no longer working.
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There are currently 30 GPS satellites in operation. The first satellite was sent into orbit in 1989.
