Johannes Gutenberg
1400 – 1468 German goldsmith, printer, inventor
German craftsman who introduced printing with movable metal type to Europe, launching the age of mass-produced print.
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
Johannes Gutenberg was a goldsmith in Mainz who, around the 1440s, brought together movable metal type, an oil-based ink, and an adapted press into a workable system for printing. His 42-line Bible showed that books could be made in quantity rather than copied by hand. The technology spread quickly across Europe and reshaped religion, learning, and the spread of news. His exact birth year is not documented and is usually given as about 1400.
In the timeline
- 1440 Gutenberg's printing press inventor of European movable-type printing
- 1440 Gutenberg's printing press spreads learning mentioned