The Printing Press

Throughout history, there have been countless inventions that dramatically changed the human way of life. Among these inventions is the printing press. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg, played an essential role in the rebirth of education and knowledge that pulled Europe out of the dark ages and indirectly led to many of the academic ideas and advancements of recent times. Without the press Gutenberg created, our world might still be in the dark ages with the church having a near monopoly on literacy and knowledge

Before the mid 15th century, when the press was unveiled, books were expensive and elusive objects. Every single book had to be written by hand, usually by monks, which took an unreasonable amount of time. Because of the rarity and the cost of books during the middle ages, many people did not bother to read and books were considered such treasures they were often chained to the table of the owner to prevent their theft(Lakeside Publishing Group 1). As a result, much of society was uneducated and dependent on the priesthood and nobility for the information (1). Also during this period, very few new ideas and revolutions came along based on the fact that people didn't have a means to see other ideas that went against the church because of the fact that most knowledge was filtered through the priesthood.

Johannes Gutenberg was born in Germany in the final years of the 1300’s. Gutenberg’s was trained as a metalworker, and this helped him greatly in his development of the press (Carrera 1). Although block printing was already being used in Japan, Gutenberg's invention is significant because he used a system of movable, reusable metal type (Childress 46). Gutenberg' first printed object was a bible, which he...

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...st newspapers in the world were printed on a press very similar to Gutenberg’s design (2). Printing has also played a major role in future events, such as the Enlightenment and in the propaganda that has been used in countless wars. The press has played such an important role in history, it has been considered the most important technological advancement since the wheel, by some sources because of its ability to educate, persuade, and entertain (Fallows 2).

The printing press has played an essential role in shaping recent history. From the spread of knowledge and literacy to starting revolutions by spreading ideas, it is safe to say that the printing press is one of the most influential pieces of technology in the past 500 years. Without it, the world might still be in a dark age of illiteracy and staleness, dry of the literature and knowledge the press has spread.