World map – The Type Road

The greatest invention, Movable Metal type printing,
Eastern Jikji and Western Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible 868 Diamon Woodb

What do you think the greatest invention that influenced human civilization is?

The world’s most influential news media, such as BBC, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Time Magazine reported that movable metal type printing was the greatest invention throughout the entire human history. Before movable metal type printing invented, wooden block printing was the best method to publish books. To print one book, publishers had to carve each pages of book on woodblocks and this caused the high price of a book.

Consequently, only the wealth and scholars possessed books. However, movable metal type printing enhanced mass production of diverse books at lower cost and more people was able to read mass information directly and quickly. In conclusion, movable metal type printing stimulated popularization of information and provoked collapse of information-monopolizing class. Hence, Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and the Great Rebellion took place and these great events in human history affected on present-day and civilization.