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עמוד:24
Read the following article about how manuscripts developed into books . Find out how Johannes Gutenberg , who invented the printing press in 1450 , changed the world . Changing the World through Print The development of computer technology and the growth of the Internet give people the impression 1 that the age of information began only in the last years of the 20 " century . This is because digital technology allows us to get information at ever increasing speeds . However , some historians believe that the age of information began much earlier —in 1450 , with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg . Before the invention of printing , books were written by hand and were called manuscripts . Scribes , men who copied the manuscripts by hand , made more copies . Each copy was a little different and special in some way . In contrast , printed books were printed by machine and were all exactly the same . A manuscript took months to produce , whereas printed books could be made much faster . This meant that more books and more copies of books could become available to more people in less time . The first printed books were copies of manuscripts . It wasn't until the early 1500 s that the first "original" books were published in print , and not as manuscripts . Books about science , history and religion were written , which brought new ideas and new information to more people more quickly . For example , scientists all over Europe were able to easily publish their work and read the works of others . By bringing about changes in religion , science and the arts , Gutenberg ' s invention created a revolution in thinking and learning and changed history . Before the printed book , people learned by listening and very few people had access to information and knowledge . However , after books became available , people who knew how to read did not need to depend on others for information anymore . By the 1800 s , children and teenagers began going to school and more and more people learned to read . Today , books affect many spheres of life : education , business and entertainment . Books are available in a variety of formats , from hardcover books with expensive photographs in full color , to paperbacks that have soft covers and that are printed on cheap paper . Book production has become a huge industry and 150 , 000 new titles appear every year in the United States alone . When Gutenberg invented the printing press , neither he nor people living at that time imagined how it would change the world . We should therefore not be surprised that , at the end of the year 2000 , a group of scientists chose Johannes Gutenberg as the "Man of the Millennium . " manuscript n . a book or document written by hand . From the Latin : manu ( by hand ) and scriptus ( writing ) . An early printing press
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