Program Information

During the late 1430s in the Rhine valley city of Strasbourg, France, an obscure gem cutter began secretly working on an invention that would change the face of the modern world.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: During the late 1430s in the Rhine valley city of Strasbourg, France, an obscure gem cutter began secretly working on an invention that would change the face of the modern world.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden, was born into a patrician family in Mainz, Germany, around 1395. There is little documentation on his personal life--an ironic fate for one whose influence over modern history is almost universal. As an adult he changed his name, assuming that of one of the family’s estates. Johannes Gutenberg worked as a gem cutter and goldsmith; he possibly learned the skills of engraving from an uncle, who was master of a mint.

During the Renaissance, a growing, prosperous and literate middle class began to demand books. Prior to that era, those books that did exist were created and then copied by hand by scribes and monks. These books were enjoyed by a fortunate few--scholars, students, clergymen, and government leaders. The Church added to the demand by publishing prayer books and books of psalms and, to fund building projects, issued indulgences--actual slips of paper offering written dispensation from sin. In addition, nobles and wealthy merchants and bankers--desiring to give the appearance of being cultured--demanded books to fill ornate home libraries.

Gutenberg was one of many who tackled the problem of mass book production. In the 1430s he began searching for a cheap, quick way to produce printed material. During this period his hometown of Mainz was the scene of political instability due to a power struggle between the guilds and patricians. Having solved the basic technological problems associated with his invention, Gutenberg moved 75 miles southwest to Strasbourg where, cloaked in secrecy, at great expense, he began perfecting the printing press.

Next time: The miracle of movable metal type.

Research assistance by Cari Wolf. At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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