House of Medici
The Medici's were a very powerful family who ruled Florence during the renaissance. They were wool merchants and bankers which made them very wealthy. The Medici were known for their patronage of the arts. This made a big impact in the renaissance allowing artists to work without worrying about money. The Medici family also supported Galileo and science. Galileo tutored the Medici children and named four of the Jupiter moons after them. The Medici family ruled 200 years from 1434 to 1737 and played a big role in the renaissance.

William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon about 100 miles northwest of London in 1564. He went to the local grammar school where he learned about poetry, history, Greek, and Latin. Shakespeare is known for one of his famous plays Romeo and Juliet and many more. William is considered by many to be the best writer of the English language. Shakespeare retired and returned home to die on his fifty second birthday.

Johannes Gutenberg

Johann was born in Mainz, Germany in 1398. In 1450 he invented a printing press and the moveable type. These inventions allowed more paper to be printed and an easier way to write on the paper. The printing press printed many things including the bible. The Gutenberg Bible is likely to be worth around 30 million dollars today. Johannes Gutenberg made education a lot easier around the world and has made a great impact in our lives today.

Michelangelo
Michelangelo was born March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy. Within a year after his artistic talents were noticed he was sent to the powerful Medici family to continue his training with a sculptor. Over the next few years Michelangelo produced many sculptures including Madonna of the Steps. Michaelangelo had many talents he could do architecture just as well as his art. He was considered the Renaissance man because of this. Michaelangelo died February 18, 1564 in Rome, Italy.