Overview
In the mid-1400's, Johannes Gutenberg of Germany revolutionized printing. Ink, paper, and the printing press had been invented long before Gutenberg's time. Gutenberg added his invention of the type mold to these elements to radically advance the art of printing. Printing quickly became the first means of mass communication. It put more knowledge in the hands of more people faster and at less cost than ever before. Printing thus helped make possible the development of modern democracies, which rely on well-informed citizens to participate in government.