7 Johannes Gutenberg 7

decorations would certainly have increased Johann Fust’s

impatience and vindictiveness.

A number of other printings used to be attributed to

Gutenberg. They are now considered the work of other

minor printers; among these is a Thirty-six-Line Bible

printed in Bamberg, a typographic resetting of the Forty-

two-Line Bible. Attributed to Gutenberg himself is a

Türkenkalender, a warning against the impending danger

of Turkish invasion after the fall of Constantinople in

1453, printed December 1454 for 1455 use, some letters of

indulgence, and some school grammars. The identity of the

printer of a Missale Speciale Constantiense is still not estab-

lished, but it was probably produced about 1473 in Basel,

Switzerland.

In January 1465 the archbishop of Mainz pensioned

Gutenberg, giving him an annual measure of grain, wine,

and clothing and exempting him from certain taxes. His

financial status in his last years has been debated but was

probably not destitute.

Christiaan Huygens

(b. April 14, 1629, The Hague, Neth.—d. July 8, 1695, The Hague)

C

hristiaan Huygens (or Christian Huyghens) was a

Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist who

founded the wave theory of light, discovered the true shape

of the rings of Saturn, and made original contributions to

the science of dynamics—the study of the action of forces

on bodies. He was responsible for the practical application

of the pendulum as a time controller in clocks.

Huygens was from a wealthy and distinguished middle-

class family. His father, Constantijn Huygens, a diplomat,

Latinist, and poet, was the friend and correspondent of

many outstanding intellectual figures of the day, including

the scientist and philosopher René Descartes. From an