For the Each One Teach One research project, I was assigned the printing press. A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the cloth, paper, or other medium was brushed or rubbed repeatedly to achieve the transfer of ink, and accelerated the process. Typically used for texts, the invention and global spread of the printing press was one of the most influential events in the second millennium. Johannes Gutenburg was a German inventor, printer, publisher, and goldsmith. He was credited for the printing press. Gutenburg started experimenting on the press in 1440. He started developing the printing press in France. It took him ten years to produce it. Once he was finished and "perfected" he brought the press back to his hometown in Germany.
Johannes Gutenburg wasn't the first person to discover printing. The oldest known printing was dated back to the first millennium A.D. in China. The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist book from Dunhuang, China from around 868 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty, is said to be the oldest known printed book. Before the printing press books such as The Diamond Sutra were created with a method called block printing. Block printing was hand-carved blocks with letters printed backward. After block printing, metal block printing was invented. These types of printing were very tedious and took a very long time to produce. Thanks to Gutenburg printing became easier.
The printing press changed the world we live in today. Without it, there are so many things that wouldn't be possible today. The printing press allows us to share large amounts of information quickly and in huge numbers. In fact, the printing press is so significant that it has come to be known as one of the most important inventions of our time. It drastically changed the way society evolved. Before the printing press information was shared orally. The press helped educate the world faster. Literacy levels began to rise. Johannes Gutenberg's discovery helped books be produced quicker and cheaper. The printing press even improved science. historian Elizabeth Eisenstein wrote her 1980 book about the impact of the printing press, she said that its biggest gift to science wasn’t necessarily the speed at which ideas could spread with printed books, but the accuracy with which the original data were copied. With printed formulas and mathematical tables in hand, scientists could trust the fidelity of existing data and devote more energy to breaking new ground. Thanks to the printing press a huge social and cultural revolution was born. A century after it was founded the Italian renaissance began. The press wasn't the reason the renaissance began but it did help accelerate rediscovery and helped share knowledge.
A significant positive effect of the printing press was that voices around the world were being heard. For example, Martin Luther and his 95 Thesis. Thanks to the printing press and the timely power of his message, Luther became the world’s first best-selling author. Luther’s translation of the New Testament into German sold 5,000 copies in just two weeks. From 1518 to 1525, Luther’s writings accounted for a third of all books sold in Germany and his German Bible went through more than 430 editions. Luther questioned the church, he wasn't the first one, but he was the first person to publish his message around town. He believed that printing was a gift from God himself.
Overall, Johannes Gutenburg and the printing press had major effects on the world. If it wasn't for his discovery we would not be living in the world we are today. Communication was changed for the better along with so many other things.
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