Who is credited with the invention of the compass and its approximate year?

The invention of the compass is attributed to Flavio Gioia, who is often credited with creating the navigational compass around the year 1300. This device fundamentally changed navigation by allowing sailors to determine direction more accurately, especially in conditions where landmarks were not visible. The compass uses Earth's magnetic field to point towards magnetic north, thereby assisting with navigation on long sea voyages.

Other figures mentioned, like Christopher Columbus, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, made significant contributions to exploration, science, and mathematics, but they are not associated with the invention of the compass. Columbus utilized navigational tools during his voyages, but he did not invent the compass itself. Newton and Einstein, while transformative in their respective fields of physics, are not connected to the development of navigational instruments like the compass.