The work at Invent-Tech is affected daily by, debatably, the greatest invention of the 2nd millennium

September 13th, 2006

Good afternoon, Invent-Tech’s Sr. Technical Writer here with an entry in our informative series about famous inventors and inventions throughout history. In the last entry, “Invent-Tech’s ‘Invention History’ series introduces famed inventor, Thomas Edison,” I mentioned that Thomas Edison was the first inventor inducted into the National Inventor Hall of Fame; but many other inventions could be considered more significant than Edison’s.

Whether or not the invention we will discuss today is the greatest invention of the 2^nd millennium, as some believe it to be, is certainly debatable and is highly reliant on what the person making the claim values; however, it undoubtedly had a great impact on the progress of modern society and is worthy of the discussion. This invention is the Printing Press.

The concept of the printing press developed over hundreds, if not thousands of years. Prior to the invention of a printing ‘machine’, texts were painstakingly copied by hand by monks. Block printing was introduced in the mid-8^th century in Asia and expanded to Europe in the mid-9^th century. This process required each page of a book to be carved into wooden blocks, which was still a difficult and time-consuming process.

The concept was developed further when, in 1041 AD, Bi Sheng of China invented the first moveable type using clay. Moveable type allowed individual characters to be placed in a sequence to create the desired text, and the characters could be replaced and rearranged as needed. His clay versions were replaced by wood, which was far more durable. Eventually, metal replaced wood as the preferred material.

In the 1440s, Johann Gutenberg adopted the concept of metal moveable type into a printing press that became the standard in printing until the Industrial Revolution 300 years later. Although his invention built upon countless years of discoveries and modifications in printing techniques, Gutenberg is credited for initiating a major societal shift and propelling society into the modern age with his printing press.

The first book printed with Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention was the Bible. Whereas it might have taken a monk over a year to copy the Bible by hand, Gutenberg’s press was able to produce several hundred copies a year and books became more accessible. As his invention spread across Europe and beyond, it became cheaper for libraries to stock books. It became easier for scientists to share their work and collaborate on the theories and findings of other scientists. It also became easier for the average man to obtain books, promoting literacy and education.

Without Gutenberg and the printing press, advances in the arts and sciences would be less consistent and less widely known. The evolution of society that led to the world we see around us would have been a much slower process, if ever achieved at all. We may not have had many of the other inventions that people consider to be the ‘greatest invention.’ We may not have had phones, computers, printers, the Internet, etc. and Invent-Tech may not be here to assist individuals with other great inventions that can positively impact our society. For this, he and all those who influenced the concept of printing before him deserve great thanks.

Facts gathered from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Entry Filed under: Invent-Tech News