Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a German inventor, printer, publisher, and goldsmith who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing press.
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Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a German inventor, printer, publisher, and goldsmith who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing press.
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Gutenberg's work started the Printing Revolution in Europe and is regarded as a milestone of the second millennium, ushering in the modern period of human history.
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Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe and later the world.
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Gutenberg was born in the German city of Mainz, Rhine-Main area, the youngest son of the wealthy patrician merchant Friele Gensfleisch zur Laden, and his second wife, Else Wyrich, who was the daughter of a shopkeeper.
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Gutenberg appears to have been a goldsmith member enrolled in the Strasbourg militia.
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Around 1439, Gutenberg was involved in a financial misadventure making polished metal mirrors for sale to pilgrims to Aachen: in 1439 the city was planning to exhibit its collection of relics from Emperor Charlemagne but the event was delayed by one year due to a severe flood and the capital already spent could not be repaid.
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Until at least 1444 Gutenberg lived in Strasbourg, most likely in the St Arbogast parish.
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Gutenberg was able to convince the wealthy moneylender Johann Fust for a loan of 800 guilders.
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Gutenberg's workshop was set up at Humbrechthof, a property belonging to a distant relative.
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Gutenberg died in 1468 and was buried likely as a tertiary in the Franciscan church at Mainz.
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Between 1450 and 1455, Gutenberg printed several texts, some of which remain unidentified; his texts did not bear the printer's name or date, so attribution is possible only from typographical evidence and external references.
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In 1455, Gutenberg completed copies of a beautifully executed folio Bible, with 42 lines on each page.
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Gutenberg's early printing process, and what texts he printed with movable type, are not known in great detail.
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Whether Gutenberg used this sophisticated technique or a somewhat primitive version has been the subject of considerable debate.
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