
A German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press, sparking the Printing Revolution.
Một nhà phát minh và thợ thủ công người Đức đã đưa kỹ thuật in chữ rời vào châu Âu, khởi đầu Cách mạng In ấn.
This biography of Johann Gutenberg helps you learn English through real historical stories. Explore Johann Gutenberg's impact on the world.
Johannes Gutenberg was born into a patrician family in Mainz, Germany, around the turn of the 15th century. Early in his life, he acquired skills in metalworking and goldsmithing, which would later prove crucial to his legendary invention. During a period of political exile in Strasbourg, he began experimenting with a secret project, attempting to mechanize the slow, laborious process of copying books by hand.
By 1450, Gutenberg had perfected his design for a movable-type printing press. His revolutionary system combined durable metal type—cast from a unique alloy of lead, tin, and antimony—with an oil-based ink and an adapted wine press. His crowning achievement came in 1455 with the publication of the "Gutenberg Bible" (the 42-line Bible), the first major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe, renowned for its exceptional aesthetic quality.
Despite his world-changing invention, Gutenberg was a poor businessman; he lost control of his workshop to his investor, Johann Fust, just as his Bible was being completed. He died in relative poverty in 1468. However, his technology sparked the "Printing Revolution," dramatically lowering the cost of books, democratizing knowledge, and facilitating the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Protestant Reformation.