Google has chosen to celebrate Gutenberg on April 14, because on that date in 2000 the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, launched an exhibition to honour him in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Born in Germany around 1400, Gutenberg invented the process for movable type in 1439. His process replaced handwritten manuscripts and wooden block printing with a process that involved a combination of movable metal type, adjustable moulds and oil-based inks.
Gutenberg’s eureka moment came in 1450 with his invention’s first successful print: a Latin book on speech-making.
While this may not sound like a big deal at first, the printing press is often considered as the most important invention of modern times. Gutenberg’s revolutionary system ushered in an era of mass communication and allowed for the economical mass production of printed books.
By the 16th century, an estimated 200 million books were in print thanks to his invention, which gave birth to a new era of mass communication and a new branch of media: the press.
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Today, Gutenberg’s legacy lives on with Project Gutenberg, an online library with over 60 000 free books.
