In 1439 Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468) invented the printing press with mechanical movable type. The printing press is consider one of man’s most important inventions. Gutenberg used his skills as a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher allowed him to start the printing revolution which led to the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution. The mass printing of books – his press could print 3600 pages per day – made books available commercially to large numbers of all clases. The Gutenberg (42-line) Bible was his major work. (See pics below)
By 1500, printing presses were operating in 
over 200 cities in a dozen European countries, producing more than twenty million volumes. In 1605 Johann Carolus of Strassburg printed the first newspaper, the Relation, with a printing press. The newspapers spread throughout Germany and Holland, France, and England.
Tomorrow, we sail the seas. Rita Bay
Rita Bay's Blog 