Lord Byron's First Speech in Parliament: Defending the Luddites
Byron's maiden speech in the House of Lords defended workers who smashed textile machines. He'd inherited his title two years earlier at 22. The Luddites in his home county faced the death penalty for breaking looms that had taken their jobs. Byron called the proposed law "the most absurd and unjust" he'd ever seen. He argued that starving men shouldn't hang for destroying the machines that starved them. The speech failed. The bill passed. He never spoke in Parliament again.
February 27, 1812
214 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 27
en China, Confucio registra el primero de una lista de 36 eclipses solares.
Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the only legal religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380. Not just legal — mandatory. The Edict of Thessalonica de…
Theodosius II built the University of Constantinople in 425 because his wife told him to. Aelia Eudocia, a poet and intellectual herself, wanted a state-funded …
Nach der Rabenschlacht vor Ravenna vereinbaren Odoaker und der Ostgotenherrscher Theoderich unter Vermittlung des Erzbischofs Johannes von Ravenna einen Frieden…
Abaoji unified the disparate Khitan tribes and assumed the title of khagan, consolidating power over the vast steppes of Inner Mongolia. This centralization tra…
A nomadic warlord who couldn't read Chinese became emperor of a dynasty that would last two centuries. Abaoji unified the Khitan tribes through a mix of marriag…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.