# Gutenberg's Printing Press (1450)

URL: https://germany-history.com/timeline/1450-gutenberg-s-printing-press
Location: Mainz
Categories: main-event

Around 1450 Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz developed printing with movable metal type. His Gutenberg Bible, completed around 1455, was the first major book printed in Europe. Printing spread across Europe within decades.

## Why it matters
It revolutionised the spread of knowledge and made the Reformation possible.

Ruler at the time: [Frederick III](https://germany-history.com/rulers/frederick-iii-1440)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia – Johannes Gutenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg)
- [Wikipedia – Printing press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica – Johannes Gutenberg](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Gutenberg)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica – Printing press](https://www.britannica.com/technology/printing-press)