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Events in the 1040s 1
1040Bi Sheng invents movable typeCeramic movable type — 400 years before GutenbergAround 1040 AD, artisan Bi Sheng developed the world's first movable type system using individually carved ceramic characters that could be arranged, inked and reused. Though less practical than Gutenberg's later metal type for Chinese due to the thousands of characters required, Bi Sheng's invention is the first demonstration of the movable type principle. It later spread to Korea and Japan before reaching Europe.