![]() GUTENBERGBorn in 1394-99? - Died in 1468![]()
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Johanne Gutenberg (YO hahn GOO tn berg) was trying to invent a method of printing. He didn't have very much money left, but he would not give up. He continued to work on the great project.
While he was teen-ager working at his town's mint * ; the place where money was made, he got the idea for creating books by machine. Up until this time all the books had to be copied by hand. It was very slow, and it took a long, long time to make one book.
After the book was written, they would take a metal punch * and spell out the letters for the title on the front of the leather cover. Maybe this gave Gutenberg the idea for metal letters to write the words on the pages of the book.
His work at the mint helped him in making the metal letters for printing. The letters had to be the same height to look right.
Also at the mint he worked with a stamp press used to make government seals * . He used this knowledge to help him make a printing press.
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Gutenberg Bible
Photo by Reid BakerWhen he needed money he went to John Fust, a moneylender * . He got the money to buy the material to make 46,000 pieces of movable type. He also hired 16 workers.
He was able to print the first Bible, the Gutenberg Bible. Some of the first copies still exist today. They are among the world's greatest treasures.
The method he invented for printing remained unchanged for many years.
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Johann Gutenberg
English version
Biography of Gutenberg
from World of Biography
Gutenberg
at Wikipedia
(example of movable type)
The Gutenberg Bible
Johann Gutenberg Memorial
Johann Gutenberg and The Printing Press
By Bruce Koscielniak / Houghton-mifflin
Look at this book! If it had been published 600 years ago it would have been copied out by hand by a scribe in a monastery and probably would have taken months to produce. But thanks to Johann Gutenberg, in the fifteenth century modern printing was born and nowadays it can take only a few seconds to print a book. Gutenberg invented the printing press as well as a new type of ink and a new way to cast type. Open this book to learn the incredible story of Johann Gutenberg and the history of early printing and publishing. Bruce Koscielniak has crafted an informative and entertaining book (and we printed thousands of copies!) about one of the most important inventions of all time. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Ink on His Fingers
By Louise A. Vernon / Herald Press
John Gutenberg is working on printing the first Bible with type. Twelve-year-old Hands Dunne is planning on being a scribe and copying the Bible by hand. But circumstances change and he finds himself working in Gutenberg's shop as an apprentice printer. Soon, Hans finds himself in the middle of a type-stealing mystery. Herr Fust, the village banker, wants Gutenberg's type and tries every possible way to get his hands on it. Gutenberg is deep in debt and has borrowed from everyone in town. Gutenberg is sure that he will be able to pay everyone back one the Bible is printed, but he is running out of time. Will Hans, and the other pressmen be able to keep Herr Fust from getting the type? Will they be able to finish the Bible so many people will be able to read and learn from it?
The Story of Inventions
By Michael McHugh / Christian Liberty Press
Great inventions, historical biographies, strong morals, and the godly character traits necessary for success are highlighted in this collection of stories. From the steam engine and the printing press to television and computers, a wide range of inventions is covered in short chapters that include reading comprehension questions. For older elementary students. 354 pages, softcover from Christian Liberty Press.
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Gutenberg Word Search
Gutenberg Crossword Puzzle
Gutenberg - Word Scramble
Online Crossword Puzzle
Online Word Search
Gutenberg Study Sheet
Worksheet
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Work a Jigsaw Puzzle
From Word Central's Student Dictionary
by Merriam - Webster
(Pronunciation note: the schwa sound is shown by &)
mint
Function: noun
: a place where coins, medals, and tokens are made...
punch
Function: noun
a : a tool for piercing, cutting, or stamping or for driving a nail
b : a device or machine for cutting holes or notches (as in paper or cardboard)...
seal
Function: noun
: a device with a cut or raised design or figure that can be pressed or stamped into paper or wax to form a mark
(as for certifying a signature)...
moneylender
Pronunciation: 'm&n-E-"len-d&r
Function: noun
: one whose business is lending money...
You do not need permission to use the picture on this page.
This public domain image was found at the University of Texas
Biographies in this Series
Presidents of the
United StatesGeorge Washington
1st U.S. President
John Adams
2nd U.S. President
Thomas Jefferson
3rd U.S.President
James Monroe
5th U.S. President
Andrew Jackson
7th U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln
16th U.S.President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
35th U.S. President
James Madison
4th U.S. President
Theodore Roosevelt
26th U.S. President
American Patriots Benjamin Franklin
patriot and statesman
Francis Scott Key
Star Spangled Banner
Deborah Sampson
woman soldier
in the Revolutionary War
World Leaders Constantine
Roman Emperor
Alexander the Great
conqueror
Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister
Inventors Alexander Graham Bell
telephone
Johann Gutenberg
printing press
Cyrus McCormick
mechanical reaper
The Wright Brothers
first airplane
Henry Ford
Automaker
Thomas A. Edison
electric light bulb
Sequoyah
Cherokee alphabet
Nikola Tesla
700 patents
. Explorers Christopher Columbus
explorer
Meriwether Lewis
explorer
Robert Peary
Arctic explorer
John Muir
Naturalist
Matthew Henson
Arctic Explorer
Sir Edmund Hillary
Mr.Everest
Kit Carson
Indian agent
"Johnny Appleseed"
orchardist
. Women who made
a differenceClara Barton
founder of the Red Cross
Helen Keller
overcame blindness & deafness
Florence Nightingale
founder of
nursing profession
Joan of Arc
religious and military leader
Amelia Earhart
Aviator
Annie Oakley
sharpshooter
Susan B. Anthony
Suffragette
Elizabeth Keckly
Seamstress
Harriet Tubman
deliverer of slaves
Anne Frank
Diarist
Eleanor Roosevelt
Humanitarian
. Scientists George Washington Carver
botanist and educator
Sir Isaac Newton
explained gravity and
properties of light
Marie Curie
scientist, physicist
Louis Pasteur
Biologist
Albert Einstein
physicist, genius
Galileo
Astronomer, physicist
Educators Noah Webster
writer of dictionary
Booker T. Washington
leader and educator
Aristotle
Greek philosopher
Physicians Hippocrates
father of medicine
Walter Reed
discovered cause of yellow fever
Albert Schweitzer
humanitarian
Religious Leaders Increase Mather
Salem witch trials
. Athletes Lou Gehrig
baseball player
Wilma Rudolph
Olympic gold medal winner
Tiger Woods
golfer
Civil Rights
LeadersMartin Luther King
civil rights leader
Rosa Parks
bus desegregation
Sojourner Truth
Former slave
Frederick Douglass
Abolitionist
Mary Ann Shadd Cary
Civil rights leader
James Forten
Inventor, abolitionist
Composers Beethoven
composer
Artists John James Audubon
artist and naturalist
Gutzon Borglum
sculptor, Mount Rushmore
Ansel Adams
photographer
Home
Back to Famous Leaders
Picture may be used without permission. It is in the public domain and was found at the Library of Congress.
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