Who is Johannes Gutenberg and what did he invent?
JOHANNES Gutenberg's invention in the 1400s revolutionized the publishing industry.
Google dedicated its Wednesday Doodle to mark his achievement, on April,14, 2021, the 21st anniversary of the Gutenberg Museum's exhibit on his life.
Who is Johannes Gutenberg?
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was born in the 1400 in the German city of Mainz, Rhine-Main area.
He was a German goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher.
His invention of movable-type printing press led to the creation of one of the Western world's first major printed books, the "Forty-Two-Line" Bible.
Gutenberg's milestone innovation started the Printing Revolution.
In 2018, WordPress named its new editing system Gutenberg to honour him.
The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world.
What did Johannes Gutenberg invent?
He started experimenting with printing by 1438.
In 1439 Gutenberg introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing press, sparking a revolution in Rennaisance Europe.
His innovation was meant to have a great impact on the publishing industry.
His process involved a mechanical movable metal type, adjustable molds and the use of oil-based inks.
His most notable work was his 42-line Bible, known as the Gutenberg Bible in 1455.
It had 42 lines on each page and cost the equivalent of three years' wages for an average clerk.
It was significantly cheaper than a manuscript Bible that could take a single scribe over a year to prepare.
Around forty-nine copies have survived and they are thought to be among the world's most valuable books.
Gutenberg's printing technology would quickly spread across Europe and by the 16th century, presses had produced an estimated 200 million books.
The Gutenberg Project, the oldest library of digitized books, is named in his honor.
The library has over 60,000 ebooks in its collection.
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How did Johannes Gutenberg die?
Johannes Gutenberg is considered one of the most influential people in human history.
He died in Mainz, on February 3, 1468 when he was around 68 years old.
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It is believed that he went blind in the last months of his life.
He was buried in the church of the Franciscan convent in the town of Eltville, Germany.