Before 1450, almost every book in Europe was copied by hand. A Bible could take a scribe a year or more, so books were rare and costly. In the German city of Mainz, a goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg had an idea: what if each letter were a small piece of metal that could be set in rows, inked, printed, and then used again?
Key idea
In 1517, a monk and teacher named Martin Luther, in the town of Wittenberg, wrote 95 statements, the 95 Theses, arguing that some practices of the Church should change. Printers copied them, and within weeks they were read across Germany. This began the Reformation.
Western Christians divided. Those who followed reformers such as Luther and John Calvin came to be called Protestants. Those who stayed with the pope in Rome are Catholics; the Catholic Church also made reforms of its own at the Council of Trent. For more than a century, the two sides argued, and sometimes fought wars, over these beliefs. Today Catholics and Protestants live side by side in many countries.
Worked example: Copies
- 180 ÷ 3 = 60.
Answer: About 60, compared with the scribe's one.
Common mistake
Try it at home
- Cut letters from a kitchen sponge or craft foam (with scissors). Glue them backward onto a piece of cardboard to spell a short word, dip in paint and print.
- Why must the letters be backward? Look at a rubber stamp to check.