Johannes Gutenberg biography

Biography of Johannes Gutenberg : Invented the printing press.

Learn about Johannes Gutenberg biography. Inventor of a method of movable type and a printing press that brought printing to Europe and changed the world.

Who is Johannes Gutenberg ?

Biography of Johannes Gutenberg 

• Occupation: artificer and Inventor
• Born: in Germany 1398 
• Died: in Germany February 3, 1468 
• Best known for: introduced the printing press and movable type to Europe

Johannes Gutenberg biography

The printing press and the idea of moveable type were both introduced to Europe by Johannes Gutenberg. Although it may not initially seem significant, the printing press is frequently regarded as the most significant invention of the modern era. Consider how crucial information is in the modern world. You wouldn’t be able to learn, transmit knowledge, or communicate scientific findings without books and computers.

Making a book in Europe required a difficult procedure before Gutenberg invented the printing machine. Writing a letter by hand to one person wasn’t all that difficult, but it was practically impossible to produce thousands of books for many people to read. The Scientific Revolution and the Renaissance would not have occurred without the printing press. We would live in a totally different planet.

Where did Johannes Gutenberg grow up?

Johannes was born in Mainz, Germany around the year 1398. He was the son of a Goldsmith. Not a whole lot more is known about his childhood. It appears he moved a few times around Germany, but that’s about all is known for sure.

What did Gutenberg invent?

Gutenberg took some existing technologies and some of his own inventions to come up with the printing press in the year 1450. One key idea he came up with was movable type. Rather than use wooden blocks to press ink onto paper, Gutenberg used movable metal pieces to quickly create pages.

Gutenberg introduced innovations all the way through the printing process enabling pages to be printed much more rapidly. His presses could print 1000’s of pages per day versus only 40-50 pages with the old method. This was a dramatic improvement and allowed books to be acquired by the middle class for the first time in the history of Europe. Knowledge and education spread throughout the continent like never before. The invention of the printing press spread rapidly throughout Europe and soon thousands of books were being printed on printing presses.

What books were first printed by the Gutenberg press?

It’s thought that the first printed item from the press was a German poem. Other prints included Latin Grammars and indulgences for the Catholic Church. Gutenberg’s real fame came from producing the Gutenberg Bible. It was the first time a Bible was mass produced and available for anyone outside of the church. Bibles were rare and could take up to a year for a priest to transcribe. Gutenberg printed around 200 Bibles in a relatively short time.

Facts about Gutenberg

• In 1462 he was exiled from Mainz. However, things turned around for him and in 1465 he was given a fancy title, a yearly salary, and more as a reward for his invention.
• The original Bible sold for 30 florins. This was a lot of money back then for a commoner, but much, much cheaper than a hand written version.
• There are around 21 complete Gutenberg Bibles existing still today. One of these Bibles is likely worth around $30 million.

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