I put the start of the technological era as 1440 and the invention of the printing press.
Yes, I believe Guttenberg was chosen by Time magazine’s panel as the most influential person of the last 1,000 years (1,001 AD to 2000 AD) because of his moveable type printing press—it is responsible for the dissemination of knowledge to millions.
I think Time’s panel made a pretty good choice then.