When thinking about globalization, the thought is encompassing. The process of a large world becoming an interconnected society is comprised of small achievements. One of the greatest elements in making this achievement possible was the Gutenberg Printing Press. Named for his modernization of the printing press, Johann Gutenberg was born in the late 1300s in Germany and lived a wealthy life where both his parents were prosperous and successful. As a result, he was able to receive a good education, which would essentially help shape the worlds way of printing press forever. However, albeit Johann Gutenberg wasnt the first to invent the printing press, and it was instead by the Chinese and Korean, Gutenberg was the one to modernize and popularize the printing press. Up until the Gutenberg Press, text in Europe was created by hand where each letter was carved into a block, comprised of materials including clay, papyrus, wax, parchment, an
d wood – the most prominent being wood. A mirrored image of the design would be carved onto the wood block and was sued as a template for the printing press, but the block couldnt be edited and could only be replaced with a new copy. Regardless, the wooden blocks would wear away after a while. The making of these blocks was costly and time-consuming. Due to its extensive process, books were a symbol of high social status and thereby limited the accessibility of written books. Hence, when Johann Gutenberg manufactured his printing press, it stood out. Gutenberg was a goldsmith by trade and a polisher of gems. In the middle of the 15th century, Johann created typography that enabled movable metal letters -allowing individual letters to be interchanged- and allowed him to create numerous copies. His skills and creativity led to an accidental experiment with printing and essentially built a whole empire of manufacturing printing presses.