Printing press! Flashcards
What led to great changes in the way Europeans understood the world during the Renaissance?
Under the influence of the Renaissance, new developments in technology and science led to great changes in the way that Europeans understood the world.
What was the first important invention during this time?
The first important invention was the printing press.
How long would it take for a monk to produce a handwritten Bible in medieval Europe?
In medieval Europe, it could take a monk over a year to produce one handwritten Bible.
Why were books so expensive in medieval Europe?
For this reason, books were hugely expensive, and only the very wealthy or the very religious had access to them.
Who invented the printing press?
That was until Johannes Gutenberg, a metalworker from the German town of Mainz, started experimenting with printed text.
Where did the technology for printing with blocks of carved wood originate from?
The technology of printing with blocks of carved wood had arrived in Europe from China, but woodblock printing was time-consuming and inefficient.
What was Gutenberg’s idea for improving printing technology?
Gutenberg’s idea was to create equally sized individual letters out of metal that could be arranged and rearranged in a wooden frame to make whole pages of words, a technology known as ‘movable-type printing’.
How did Gutenberg use his new printing technology?
Gutenberg would then cover the metal type blocks with ink, and press onto them a sheet of paper, and then another, and then another.
When did Gutenberg’s printing press produce its first run of Bibles?
In 1455, Gutenberg’s printing press produced its first run of Bibles: 180 copies, each with 1286 pages.
How did Gutenberg’s invention affect the spread of new ideas?
This started a revolution. By 1500, there were over 1000 printing presses in Western Europe, producing large numbers of books on religion, medicine, history, poetry, astronomy, and Latin grammar, sold at prices that many more than just the wealthy could afford. New ideas could now spread to many more people at an unprecedented speed.
What major historical event began shortly after Gutenberg’s invention?
It is no coincidence that the Reformation began just half a century after Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention.
