We all laugh about knowing Luddites, people who just can't handle new technology. But the actual Luddites were no joke.
As machinery was introduced into the woolen trade in England 200 years ago, weavers who had been producing cloth in their cottages for generations saw a very real threat to their way of life. Improvised armies set out by night and began smashing the new machines.
By the winter of 1811-1812 nighttime raids to destroy "shearing frames" became widespread in some regions of England. Taking their name from a local legend, a boy named Ned Ludd who had broken a machine, the rebellious machine smashers called themselves Luddites.
The Luddite raids turned violent, and eventually Parliament made "frame breaking" a capital offense. The British Army was sent out to suppress the mayhem.
Ultimately, the men smashing textile machinery with hammers couldn't win. Spies and informers infiltrated the movement, trials were held, and a number of Luddites wound up at the end of a rope.
Read the full article: The Luddites
Illustration: the mythical General Ludd/Getty Images
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