Technology in Ottawa and we are currently in the process of preparing for next year’s special
Exhibition. An object rich in history and culture would be Gutenberg’s printing press. This object was the invention that historians consider changed how civilization evolved. This change is often compared to when humans discovered iron which ended the Neolithic Era (new stone age) and entered the Age of Empire (also known as the Iron Age). Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press that revolutionized society by making books readily cheaper and available during the Renaissance period when there was a pressure on the members of society to purse higher
education …show more content…
It was often only those who were wealthy and had a high status who were allowed to enter the libraries. Schools in particular struggled. Only the teachers were in possession of textbooks and the students learned mainly by answering questions verbally. Gutenberg’s period of time was when the Middle Ages were coming to its end and the Renaissance was beginning. New technologies were emerging and globalization was occurring. Knowledge became a valuable resource. People were looking to elevate their status through their knowledge. Natural philosophers started to offer services as teachers to the wealthy and noble. Christianity was spreading and there needed to be more bibles to spread the message effectively. Unfortunately, there were not enough scribes to satisfy society’s …show more content…
In 1428, Gutenberg’s family was exiled from Mainz as a result of the craftsmen of the town revolting against the nobles ruling the town. Gutenberg established himself in Strausberg in 1430 where he stayed until 1444. This was where he began experimenting with the printing press. Around 1444, he created a device which used a rectangular frame with inked movable type heads which could be pressed on paper to create texts. To create a text, you would need to place the movable type heads in the desired order on the rectangular stalks and then press the rectangular frame down on a pool of ink. Once the movable type heads were inked, they were pressed down on a sheet of paper. This was the printing press, and the possibility of being able to create multiple copies of one page of text within minutes was magnificent in itself.
Gutenberg’s printing press wasn’t the first movable type printing that was invented. Movable type printing existed in China, Korea and Japan. They used the aid of wooden blocks which were carved individually with each character by a craftsmen. The wooden blocks were placed together in the desired order. Then they were dipped in ink and pressed onto the paper. This was an excellent method of printing, however, their languages contained too many characters (around 10 000), which is why this method of printing was deemed inefficient and didn’t spread to the