Life story
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was born around the year 1400 in Mainz, Germany. Little is recorded of his earliest years, yet the craft and ingenuity he would master were to change the course of European history.
He was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention enabled a much faster rate of printing, transforming the making of books from a slow and rare labour into something far more attainable.
The printing press later spread across the world and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe. Its reach was profound, touching learning, faith and thought alike, and reshaping how knowledge was shared.
Johannes Gutenberg died in Mainz on 3 February 1468. His invention had a profound impact on the development of the Renaissance, the Reformation and the humanist movements, and the world of the printed word remains his lasting legacy.
Životopisné údaje z verejných zdrojov. Portrét: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
Constellation of Life
Important milestones that shaped their journey.