How did the printing press change the world?
By Giulia S., 3H
Drawing and
writings were done thoroughly by hands before the invention of the printing
press. During the Middle Ages, in the monasteries there were special rooms
called "Scriptorium", where the scribes worked silently. When the
book was completed, the pages of the book were fully decorated. Most of the
books in the Dark Ages and Middle Ages were religious books, which were only owned
by the extremely rich and noble families, monasteries, educational
institutions.
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| Belles Heures de Jean de France: |
Around the late
1430s, the movable type printing press was invented by Gutenberg. During the
years 1300s to 1400s, people had already developed a very basic form of
printing by stamping on papers. It involved letters or images cut on blocks of
wood. The block would be dipped in ink and then stamped onto paper. Gutenberg
already had his previous experience working at mint, and he realized that if he
could use cut blocks of wood within a machine, he could make the printing
process very fast. Gutenberg would be able to reproduce texts in great numbers.
However, instead of using the wood blocks, he decided to use the metal. This
was known as a "movable type machine," since the metal block letters
could be moved around to create new words and sentences. Gutenberg's invention
was profoundly important for the humans and it launched a revolution in
printing. With this machine, Gutenberg made the very first printed book, which
was a reproduction of the Bible.
One key impact of
the printing press on the European society was the spread of ideas. The
production of literature on a vast scale became far more accessible, so many
theologians, scientists, poets, authors and philosophers could print their
theories. Printing news was making people more aware of the poltics through the
reading of newspapers. This changed the people mentality and thoughts!
Moreover, the
printing press was instrumental in the Reformation. It was helpful in the spread of new medical
ideas that helped shape the advanced medicines and practices that we have
today.
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| The Gutenberg Bible,from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bibles/the-gutenberg-bible.html |
Sources:
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