As you may recall printing was first developed in China. The world’s oldest-known printed book, using woodblock printing, was printed in China in 868. Later, during the Song dynasty, the Chinese invented movable type for printing. The Song dynasty also introduced the concept of paper money.

Papermaking came from China to the Middle East and from there to Europe. European factories were making paper by the 1300s. Because it was cheaper and easier to prepare, paper soon replaced the animal skins on which people had written before. Then in the mid-1400s, a German named Johann Gutenberg developed a printing press that used movable type. Each letter was a separate piece. A worker could fit letters into a frame, spread ink on the letters, and press a sheet of paper against the letters. An entire page was printed at once.

The development of printing was a major revolution. For the first time in history, thousands of people could read the same books and share ideas about them. Scholars from around the world attended Italy’s universities. Teachers were humanists. Women did not study there, but they were encouraged to be educated in the classics at home.