Books in mass production — the world transformed by the printing press.
Did you know that the books we read every day and the vast amount of information on our smartphones all started from a massive explosion of knowledge triggered by just one inventor?Before the invention of printing, books in medieval Europe had to be copied entirely by hand. It took months, sometimes even years, to complete just one book.Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg of Germany took inspiration from wine presses and invented an innovative movable type printing press, which allowed metal letters to be assembled and printed.Thanks to the printing press, the price of books dropped dramatically. No longer exclusive to clergy and nobles, ordinary citizens could now easily read books and share knowledge and information.Mass-printed books quickly spread across Europe, triggering the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution, serving as a decisive catalyst for the birth of modern society.The sharing of knowledge that began with Gutenberg's movable metal type has evolved into today's internet and smartphones, creating a world where anyone can freely learn and share information.▶ Read interactively
