A Greek shepherd named Magnes discovered magnets in ancient times when he found that nails in his shoes and the tip of his stick were attracted to stones in the ground while digging. Magnets attract certain materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt that are called magnetic materials. All magnets have two poles - a north pole and a south pole - and can attract or repel other magnets depending on which poles are interacting. Magnets are now used for many purposes like refrigerator door closures and magnetic pins or stickers.