It is still commonly taught at our schools, that Movable Type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg. That is not true. It is ok to say though, that Gutenberg was one of the inventors, but he was not the only one, nor was he the first.
The first known inventor was Bì Shēng from China, between 1041 and 1048, who used ceramic characters. Choe Yun-ui was the first known to use metal characters (1234, Korea). 400 years after Shēng’s invention came Gutenberg and brought movable type to its perfection and popularity (by adding the printing press and alloy characters to the list of inventions).
It is technically wrong to say that Gutenberg was the inventor of movable type. We can say though, that he was one of the inventors of movable type, along with Bì Shēng and Choe Yun-ui.
Or simply the inventor of modern/mechanical printing. Just to be fair.
Gutenberg not the inventor of Movable Type
It is still commonly taught at our schools, that Movable Type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg. That is not true. It is ok to say though, that Gutenberg was one of the inventors, but he was not the only one, nor was he the first.
The first known inventor was Bì Shēng from China, between 1041 and 1048, who used ceramic characters. Choe Yun-ui was the first known to use metal characters (1234, Korea). 400 years after Shēng’s invention came Gutenberg and brought movable type to its perfection and popularity (by adding the printing press and alloy characters to the list of inventions).
It is technically wrong to say that Gutenberg was the inventor of movable type. We can say though, that he was one of the inventors of movable type, along with Bì Shēng and Choe Yun-ui.
Or simply the inventor of modern/mechanical printing. Just to be fair.