SCA research project A

So there I was, bored in front of a computer browsing Wikipeda.  (Yes, I know...as a research tool it sucks,  But as a place to start it isn't that bad), when I stumbled on an article on periscopes.    There I found it.


 "Johannes Gutenberg, known for his contribution to printing technology, marketed a kind of periscope in the 1430s to enable pilgrims to see over the heads of the crowd at the vigintennial religious festival at Aachen."

WHAT?!?   Periscopes were in use in the 15th Century?   That's amazing!   Astounding!   And on Wikipedia, so not real proof.   Looking at the resources used  they don't reference anything about Gutenberg.   Frustrated, I stopped but kept the idea in the back of my head.


I remembered it over the weekend,  chatted with a friend and the spark is alight again.  Looking at Wikipedia again, I find this under Johannes Gutenberg: 

"Around 1439, Gutenberg was involved in a financial misadventure making polished metal mirrors (which were believed to capture holy light from religious relics) for sale to pilgrims to Aachen: in 1439 the city was planning to exhibit its collection of relics from Emperor Charlemagne but the event was delayed by one year due to a severe flood and the capital already spent could not be repaid. When the question of satisfying the investors came up, Gutenberg is said to have promised to share a "secret". It has been widely speculated that this secret may have been the idea of printing with movable type."


Hmmm, this begs more questions.    What was this misadventure?   What belief were around mirrors and relics?   Could the mirrors be used in periscopes to look over crowds?

Clearly more research need to be done.      I'm going to be emailing the Gutenberg Museum soon and see what I find out.