1440

1440 can refer to the year 1440 CE or to the integer 1440 itself. As a year, it sits in the early part of the 15th century, a period of transition between the late Middle Ages and the beginnings of the Renaissance in Europe.

In the historical context of 1440, Johannes Gutenberg is commonly associated with early developments that would lead to movable-type printing in Mainz, Germany. This innovation would later transform the production of books and the dissemination of knowledge. The decade and surrounding years witnessed ongoing political, religious, and cultural changes across Europe as parts of the medieval world gradually evolved toward early modern institutions and practices.

As a number, 1440 has several mathematical and practical features. It factors as 2^5 × 3^2 × 5 and has 36 positive divisors. In Roman numerals it is written as MCDXL. In everyday timekeeping, 1440 minutes equal one day, a unit of time commonly used in civil and scientific contexts. The number is also divisible by a wide range of integers and appears in various arithmetic and combinatorial settings.

See also: the year 1440 in the Julian calendar, the 1440s decade, and the development of printing technology associated with Gutenberg.