Magnets in Popular Culture
Magnets are constantly used in our life in one way or another and even the power of magnetism has become a fascination for several comic book writers. Here are a couple ways that magnets have been incorporated in our lives.
Magneto
Yep, most of us know him from the Marvel's X-men. The master of magnetism, Magneto can pretty much attract anything that has some sort of metal in them (including the iron in people's blood, depending on which universe we're talking about). Heck, he and Rogue had a baby in one of the different universes because he was able to control the flow of her blood.
Fridge Magnets
In the beginning, most fridge magnets were ways for businesses to advertise themselves, but now there are much more complex, funny and interesting ways to clutter up your fridge and attach your bills/to-do lists in plain sight. More and more companies are focusing purely on making fridge magnets, and who can blame them, it's a pretty big market. One of the more famous ones? Magnetic poetry
Animal Magnetism
While not a real magnet, we use this term more and more to describe people who have a lot of charisma and can pretty much get anyone they want. Animal magnetism originally was used to describe a magnetic liquid in the bodies of organic beings and was coined by Franz Mesmer.
Magnetic Fields
No not the ones that magnets create, but the band. Created by Stephin Merritt (a singer/songwriter/producer from New York City), the band is a combination of synth and indie rock. Created in the 90's Magnetic Fields has created ten albums. They have been compared with ABBA, Joy Division and even Brian Wilson.
Magnetic Piercings
For those who are a bit squeamish or haven't made their mind up about getting a real piercing, these magnetic piercings can give you an idea of what it's like to have a ear, nose, labret or even nipple ring. These were pretty big a couple years ago and may have died out since piercings:
1. are not as expensive
2. are a sign that you are cool
Still it's a great alternative to those that just don't want to deal with scars.
Magnetic Therapy
While it's not entirely proven that magnets can help energize or heal you, magnetic bracelets have been "in" for quite some time. The magnetic therapy industry makes $300 million/year by claiming explicit health benefits, even though the typical magnet does not have a strong enough magnetic field to have any effect on muscle tissue, bones, blood vessels or organs. Still, may as well try, right?
Maglev Trains
Yeah, you know those really fast trains in Japan, France and South Korea. They exist elsewhere, but those are the three countries most people think of when they think of really fast trains. These trains literally float off the ground due to opposing forces of very strong magnets and is also propelled by these magnetic forces.