Real-world compasses don’t point to your spawn point on Earth. If only. Instead, they point to “magnetic north”, which is close but not exactly at the geographic North Pole, and also moves slowly over time. The reasons why are complicated, but mostly to do with the molten iron swishing around in the Earth’s core.
Magnetic compasses were invented way back in the Chinese Han Dynasty, around 200BC, for use in fortune-telling. They were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetised iron ore. It took about 900 years before their descendents in the Song Dynasty figured out that they could be used for navigation too. The first recorded use of a compass in the Western and Islamic world wasn’t until 1190.
After that however, they got popular and fast. Sailors found that they could use them to guide direction of travel when there was no sun or constellations visible — allowing them to make much safer and more accurate journeys, particularly in the wintertime.
So enjoy exploring the Minecraft Overworld with ease! Wait, where did I put my compass again? Oh, it’s getting dark...
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