206 BC 247 B.C.
The compass was invented in China during the Han Dynasty between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD. The magnetic compass was not, at first, used for navigation, but for geomancy and fortune-telling by the Chinese. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation. The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (since about 206 BC), and later adopted for navigation by the Song Dynasty Chinese during the 11th century. The use of a compass is recorded in Western Europe and in Persia around the early 13th century It is not possible to state with certainly who actually invented the first compass. But it may have been in use by the time of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC). The earliest compasses were lodestones. This mineral is made of iron oxide which orients itself to a north and south axis. In 1117 Zhu Yu’s book Pingzhou Table Talks came out. It was the first time in the history of the compass that the device was mentioned as a tool for navigation. From the 800s to the 1040s, the Chinese referred to magnetism and magnetic needles in many of their books. Their exact use prior to the 1100s was for building edifice The earliest compasses were made of lodestones. This mineral is made of iron oxide which orients itself to a north and south axis.In 1117 Zhu Yu's book Pingzhou Table Talks came out. It was the first time in the history of the compass that the device was mentioned as a tool for navigation. Later in the 8th Century A.D, magnetic needles replaced the loadstones. From the 8th century to 1050's, compass were actively used in ships. The first compass was invented around the year 1044. Modern liquid  magnetic compasses stem from the mariners compass that was invented  in Europe around 1190. The first compass was invented around 247 B.C. in China and by the eleventh century it was used for navigation. In medieval Europe around 1300 the dry compass was invented and was replaced by the liquid filled magnetic compass in the early twentieth century. A compass is a navigational instrument which is used for determining the direction related to the Earth’s magnetic poles. Accounts of the history of the compass often points to 2nd century BC China as its place of origin. However there are researchers who say the Olmecs were using a compass around 1000 BC. In 1117 Zhu Yu’s book Pingzhou Table Talks came out. It was the first time in the history of the compass that the device was mentioned as a tool for navigation. From the 800s to the 1040s, the Chinese referred to magnetism and magnetic needles in many of their books. In 1908 gyroscopic compass was invented, which kept the compass pointing not to the magnetic north but to the north of real earth. The market has variety of compasses suiting the specific requirement of the individual. The variety of compasses include field compass, map navigation compass, mirror compass etc. It is used for aviations, camping, hunting and other traveling purposes while moving from one place to another. No records confirm that who invented or when compass invented but it was was believed that compass came into existence in the first century and was used by the Chinese. Chinese used lodestone in the compasses. They were the first to discover the special property of the lodestone, an iron metal that it always faced north when kept on a plane surface. Around 1300, mariner’s compass was invented in Europe No one is sure exactly when and who the compass was invented by. It was supposedly made in the 3rd century BCE though, and was made for the use of Feng Shui practitioners to  … align the forces of the earth to help them maintain balance in their lives, but later became an important navigational tool. The first compass was invented around the year 1044. Modern liquid  magnetic compasses stem from the mariners compass that was invented  in Europe around 1190. The truth is, there was no such thing as the compass in ancient times, and even after the compass was invented, it wasn’t used all that much for marine navigation. Sailors in ancient times charted their course by the stars, and did not use a compass. No one knows where or when the first compass was invented. It may have been in China or in the Near East or in Italy. All we know is that the compass was first mentioned in the 12th century, and that it was first used on a European ship in 1345. These early compasses consisted of an iron needle attached to a piece of wood or cork that floated in a bowl of water. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-compass.html http://www.answers.com/Q/Why_was_the_compass_invented http://www.whenwasitinvented.org/when-was-the-first-compass-invented/ http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-compass.html http://www.whoinvented.org/who-invented-compass/ http://www.answers.com/Q/Why_was_the_compass_invented http://superbeefy.com/when-was-the-compass-invented/
when was the first compass invented