nPostednon August 14, 2013
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nYou’venundoubtedly heard about the hugely important 1450 invention of Germannprinter Johannes Gutenberg: the movable-type printing press.
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nYou maynnot realize that Chinese and Korean inventors had invented muchnearlier versions of printing presses, and that other Europeannprinters had tinkered with movable type as well—but Gutenberg getsnthe credit because his innovations on the idea made printingnpractical and relatively inexpensive.
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nAndnbecause the idea really took off!
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nThe printing press shook up society and is arguably one of the factors that created anmiddle class, universal education, and mass media. n
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nThe first books printed on Gutenberg’s press were Bibles (now known asnthe Gutenberg Bible). However, we don’t know the exact dates thatnGutenberg printed his Bibles. We do know the exact date for the MainznPsalter, a book of Psalms (praise songs from the Bible). And thatnexact date is August 14, 1457.
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nSontoday really is the date of the oldest printed book whose exact datenof publication we actually know.
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nCelebratentoday by trying to find the oldest copyright date on any of yournbooks. Go to the library and try to beat that by finding an evennearlier copyright date!
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nHerenare some old and oldish books I like—can you find them?
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nFornyoung children: n
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Randolph Caldecott’s Picture Books (1878-1886)
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Randolph Caldecott’s Picture Books (1878-1886) n
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Poppy, the Adventures of a Fairy,nby Anne Perez-Guerra (1942)
Poppy, the Adventures of a Fairy,nby Anne Perez-Guerra (1942) n
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nFornelementary ages: n
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nFornelementary ages: n
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Five Children and It,nby E. Nesbit (1902)
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Five Children and It,nby E. Nesbit (1902)n
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nA Little Princess,nby Frances Hodgson Burnett (1904)
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nA Little Princess,nby Frances Hodgson Burnett (1904)
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nPaddle to the Sea,nby Holling C. Holling (1941)
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nStar Girl,nbynHenry Winterfeld (1956) n
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nStar Girl,nbynHenry Winterfeld (1956) n
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Fornpre-teens and teens: n
Fornpre-teens and teens: nn
nIvanhoe,nby Walter Scott (1819) n
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An Old-Fashioned Girl,nby Louisa May Alcott (1869)
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An Old-Fashioned Girl,nby Louisa May Alcott (1869)n
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nA Girl of the Limberlost,nby Gene Stratton-Porter (1909)
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nA Girl of the Limberlost,nby Gene Stratton-Porter (1909)
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nAlsonon this date:
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National Navajo Code Talkers’ Day
National Navajo Code Talkers’ Day n
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HoneynSpas in Russia
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HoneynSpas in Russian
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nPlannahead:
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nHerenare my Pinterest pages on Augustnholidays, historicalnanniversaries in August,nand Augustnbirthdays.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest pages on Septembernholidays, historicalnanniversaries in September, and Septembernbirthdays.
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