Geomagnetic research in the late 19th century differed greatly from such research today. Geomagnetic observations were glaringly incomplete. The basic processes of geomagnetism were still far from being understood. Yet it was a time of much interest and some accomplishment in geomagnetic investigation.
The earth's magnetism was a subject of intense interest among America's most prominent scientists in the middle of the 19th century. By 1850 they had helped to create an international network of cooperation for its observation. They had founded three magnetic observatories and were planning a fourth for the fledgling Smithsonian Institution. Yet by the mid‐1860's, none of these observatories remained in operation.
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.
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