19. The invention of the printing press
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The invention of the printing press is arguably one of the most extraordinary moments in history. Many credit it directly with the spread of mass communication and the press. In 1439 when Gutenberg mixed several different types of technologies already used to create an innovative new way to print, the future of information transformed. His new printing invention both increased the number of books that could be printed and decreased the cost of making them, which made books and knowledge more accessible to everyone in society.
