Gutenberg Prints Bible: Movable Type Changes Everything
Johannes Gutenberg's workshop in Mainz unleashed the first Western book printed with movable type, shattering the monopoly on knowledge held by scribes and monasteries. This mechanical revolution slashed production costs and accelerated literacy, ensuring that ideas could spread across Europe faster than any plague or army ever could.
February 23, 1455
571 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 23
Diocletian's soldiers arrived at the church in Nicomedia on February 23, 303, stripped the building, and burned every manuscript they could find. No bloodshed t…
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Khosrow II lost an empire because he refused to believe his generals. The Sasanian shah had ruled for 38 years, conquered Egypt and Syria, laid siege to Constan…
Wu Zetian ruled China for fifteen years as its only female emperor. She'd clawed her way from concubine to empress to sovereign, killing rivals, promoting schol…
Lautaro had been a Spanish stable boy. He'd fed their horses, watched their drills, learned how they fought. At Marihueñu, he used that knowledge. He let the Sp…
Charles XI became King of Sweden at age four. His regents ran the country for twelve years while he learned to read. When he finally took power at sixteen, Swed…
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