Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of movable-type printing in Europe

Appears in 1 story

Born: 1400, Mainz

Died: 1468

Education: University of Erfurt (1392-1816)

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

Stories

From 1-in-10 to 9-in-10: the 200-year transformation of human literacy

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As of May 2026: Historical figure

In 1820, roughly 88% of humanity could not read; today roughly 87% can. This shift, driven by two centuries of compulsory schooling laws, cheap printing, and global campaigns, gave more than 5 billion people a skill fewer than 100 million possessed then.

Updated May 22