How Did the Printing Press Change Who Gets to Tell History?

The Big Change

Long ago, only rich people and priests could read books. These books were written by hand, so they cost a lot of money. Because rich people paid for them, the stories in the books were mostly about kings and queens.

Everyone Gets a Voice

Then, someone invented a machine called the printing press. It was like a big cookie cutter but for words. Suddenly, printing books became fast and cheap. This meant regular people could buy books too. They started writing down their own stories instead of just listening to kings.

The Result

Because more people were reading, history stopped being just what the King said. It became what everyone agreed on. Now, a baker can have his story remembered forever in print.

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Examples

  1. A king tells a story, but now so does a baker.
  2. Books used to be rare jewels; now they are common tools.
  3. People can read the same news as their neighbors.

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