Final answer:
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing with movable type around 1447, which revolutionized book production and contributed to the spread of knowledge and the reduction of illiteracy in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1447, Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden zum Gutenberg, often credited as the inventor of movable type printing, created an invention that significantly changed the course of history. This invention was printing with movable type, which revolutionized the way books were made and greatly contributed to the spread of knowledge.
Gutenberg, an inventive craftsman and publisher, transformed the labor-intensive process of hand-copying books by introducing individually cast metal letters that could be rearranged and reused to print multiple copies of a page. His printing press used metal text and a screw press design for pressure, innovations which enabled the mass production of identical books and fostered a dramatic increase in book production and a decrease in illiteracy.
His most known work is the Gutenberg Bible, which was a huge success and marked the start of the printing revolution in Europe. By 1480, the technology had spread so widely that almost every large European city boasted at least one printing press.