The surviving volume of Jikji, printed in Korea in 1377, is the oldest extant book printed with movable metal type. It sits within a much longer East Asian history of reproducing texts.
A screw and platen converted a printer’s turning motion into pressure on paper and inked type. The mechanism formed one part of a much larger system of book production.
State-supported school provision, compulsory attendance and the removal of fees developed through separate reforms. Family livelihoods affected whether children could attend.
Disabled organisers demanded implementation of civil-rights protections. The 1977 protests demonstrated the difference between passing a law and making it effective.
