If so, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in 1440 clearly had a significant influence on the dissemination of knowledge during the period. The printing press spread rapidly thought Europe, although not in Russia or the Ottoman Empire, with 20 million books printed by 1500, and 1 billion works printed by 1800.
In a spell of badly dry weather, thirsty crows flew around in the sky, looking for water. They barely could find anything to drink. A thristy crow found a pitcher with little water in it. But, the pitcher was high with its neck being narrow; on the other hand, the crow's beak and neck were too short.
The crow thought over and saw the pebbles. Then an idea came to the crow. He picked up a small pebble and dropped it into the pitcher one by one. With the pebbles in the pitcher, the water rose a little higher above the pebbles until at last it was close to the top of the pitcher enough that the crow could drink.
Morals
"In a pinch a good use of our wits may help us out." -- The Aesop for Children
The team of researchers discovered bright pink pigment in rocks taken from deep beneath the Sahara in Africa. The pigment was dated at 1.1 billion years old, making it the oldest color on geological record
Europe, more specifically northern Spain.