Johannes Gutenberg

c. 1400 – 1468 · died at about 68^[1][2]

Science & Invention

Fun Facts About Johannes Gutenberg

• Before printing, Johannes Gutenberg made polished metal mirrors to sell to pilgrims coming to see Charlemagne's relics in Aachen. A flood delayed the event, and the money could not be repaid.^[1][3][4]
• Gutenberg lost his own Bible workshop: his lender Johann Fust sued him, and the court gave Fust control of the shop, leaving Gutenberg effectively bankrupt.^[1]
• Gutenberg's Bible cost 30 florins a copy, roughly three years' wages for a clerk. About 180 copies were printed, and 48 substantially complete copies survive.^[1]
• Gutenberg was given the title Hofmann, gentleman of the court. The honor came with a stipend, grain, and 2,000 liters of wine, tax-free.^[1]
• The first portrait of Gutenberg appeared in 1567, about a century after his death, and is almost certainly imaginary. His grave is lost too.^[1]
• One way Gutenberg's new press made money was printing thousands of indulgences for the church.^[1]
• Johannes Gutenberg was alive at the same time as Timur — their lives overlapped for about 5 years (c. 1400–1405).^[1][2][5][6]
• Johannes Gutenberg lived to about 68, from c. 1400 until 1468.^[1][2]

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press enabled a much faster rate of printing. The printing press later spread across the world, and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe. It had a profound impact on the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, and humanist movements.^[1]

Contemporaries

Zheng He

33 yr overlap

Joan of Arc

19 yr overlap

Christopher Columbus

17 yr overlap

Leonardo da Vinci

16 yr overlap

Ibn Khaldun

6 yr overlap

Timur

5 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Johannes Gutenberg

When was Johannes Gutenberg born?

Johannes Gutenberg was born about 1400 and died in 1468.

How old was Johannes Gutenberg at death?

Johannes Gutenberg died in 1468 at about 68 years old (c. 1400–1468).

What was Johannes Gutenberg known for?

Johannes Gutenberg was known for: Inventor of the printing press. Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press enabled a much faster rate of printing. The printing press later spread across the world, and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe. It had a profound impact on the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, and humanist movements.

Who was alive at the same time as Johannes Gutenberg?

Johannes Gutenberg's closest contemporary was Zheng He. Their lives overlapped for 33 years.