The printing press was invented in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg. This made it possible to mass-produce books quickly at a low cost. This invention would have a significant influence on the culture, politics, and economy around the world for decades to come.
His invention also created a new method for movable type, which was more useful than carving complete wood blocks for printing as had been done before. Each type was a single letter or character. Although movable type was already in use in many parts of Asia, Gutenberg’s invention developed a casting system and metal alloys that made printing easier.
The Gutenberg Bible, or the 42-line Bible, was the first mass-produced publication using movable type. It contains the Latin version of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. There are only 49 known copies of the Bible in existence today.
Here is a short video about this groundbreaking invention.
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