Printing Press

 All about the printing press. 

 Johannes Gutenberg was believed to have been born in Mainz, Germany, in approximately 1399. He created the printing press in 1440. In 1454 he put his printing press up for commercial use and made around 200 copies of the bible over three years. This was a pivotal moment in history and changed society towards the modern era. The printing press reigned as the best way to print books for three hundred years. 

 The first creations of things similar to the printing press date back to China in the 9th century with what is called, wood blocking using moveable metal. There was also a similar invention in Korea in the 14th century. He got inspiration from the traditional screw press and added letters and symbols that were reusable to create the desired text. Gutenberg owes a lot to the medieval printing press. It was modeled after the ancient wine-and-olive press of the Mediterranean area. A long handle was used to turn a heavy wooden screw, exerting downward pressure against the paper, which was laid over the type mounted on a wooden platen wooden press. It could print 250 sheets per hour on one side. He also invented this oil-based ink used to print his books which is more durable than normal ink and it was clearer to read. 

 Before the printing press, the only option was hand writing which is very prone to human mistakes and would take a lot of time. This means they were scarce and expensive so only rich nobles would have books. Usually, scribes working in monasteries were the ones who would copy books. After the printing press was invented books became worldwide and a lot cheaper. They also preserve information better than word of mouth which has a big impact on the history we know from that era. 

The Renaissance started to boom and got more traction after the printing press was invented. Ideas, discoveries, and religions were able to travel faster and farther. This wasn't just limited to Europe because It spread across the world and impacted countries by spreading European ideals. This also meant that literacy rates increased greatly. People got tired of having to have their books read to them and a lot of people started to learn how to read since it was more accessible to them. 

Religion had a very big impact after the printing press. Protestants spread their religion through these books and shipped them around the world and then more people started to become protestants. Protestantism encouraged the direct questioning of Papal authority, accused Church officials of abuses of power, and emphasized personal interpretation of Scripture.

Scientists were also greatly impacted because of the printing press. Scientist were able to share their ideas across the world. People such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Georg Peurback shared their ideas about astronomy and mathematics. 

Overall the printing press was one of the biggest and most influential inventions of that era. It helped the Renaissance and the spread of new ideas across the world.