Johann Gutenberg (c. 1400-1468)The inventor of movable type and the father of printing is, ironically, a man of mystery with very little information about his life known for certain. He was born in Mainz, Germany and later his family moved to Strasbourg. In about 1438 he became a printer, returned to Mainz, and developed a partnership with a wealthy gold merchant named Johann Fust. They began a printing press and their first book, a Latin Bible known as the “Gutenberg Bible,” was completed in about 1456. Around this same time, Fust filed a lawsuit against Gutenberg to recover the money he had invested and Gutenberg was forced to relinquish his share of the business. He continued to dabble in various printing endeavors but died a pauper.
Impact: Gutenberg’s advances in printing technology allowed Bible translators to make the Scriptures available to the common person, a primary catalyst behind the success of the Reformation.