The Impact Of Printing

The idea of a printing press was first discovered by the Chinese, yet because of their highly structured society they made no effort to put it into effect in increasing the knowledge of their citizens. The printing press made not only a great impact on the Reformation between the Church and state, but also on European intellectual life and thought. The printing press came about when Europeans figured out how to print with movable metal type. This discovery occurred in about 1450. The man responsible for the completion of the printing press was Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany. The first book to be printed from movable type was Gutenberg's Bible in 1455. The development of the printing press made it possible for books such as prayer books, Bibles, Latin and Greek classics, legal books, works on philosophy, and a growing number of popular romances to be published. In fact the printing press led to more people having the desire to learn, and gain knowledge from reading. Without the printing press religious ideas of the Reformation would never have had any way to be spread throughout the European society.