Compass, 18th Century (Inv. 35051) and Map of Switzerland, Early 19th Century (Inv. 10424). Do you think you would be able to navigate with these?

Name: Andrew

Age: 22

Occupation: Student

From: Oxford

Subject: Map and Compass

Story: I grew up in a family of outdoor enthusiasts–backpacking, hiking, and camping were common activities of family bonding. My parents’ love of the natural world rubbed off on me: among my fondest childhood memories are my family’s weekend backpacking trips through the mountains of the American Pacific Northwest. During my venturings into nature, I became acquainted with the combined use of maps and compasses as instruments of navigation. I learned how to align maps with landmarks, triangulate my position on a map, and orient myself within a given terrain using a compass. Even more, I found the joy in this form of navigation–in tracking the progress made and distance gained during a long outing. In the near future I look forward to trying orienteering as a sport, which involves using these same tools to navigate towards a destination in an unfamiliar landscape.

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Magnetic Compass, mid 19th Century (Inv. 69863)

Name: Trevor

Object: Compass

Story: With a simple compass and a yardstick, I constructed a scientific device to align a satellite dish on my roof with a satellite in the sky miles, and miles, and miles away. I managed to receive a signal on my first try! I boasted to my friends, who in turn bought satellites and then asked me to bring that scientific device I created over to their places. Moral of the story: When you make science work for you, friends will make you work for them (for free).
(I might have ‘lost’ that scientific device soon afterwards, much to the disappointment of some other friends)

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