Timeline March 1811

Events in March 1811 2

• 1811 Luddite riots begin in England Textile workers destroy machinery in Nottinghamshire Framework knitters and weavers, angered by low wages and the spread of mechanized looms, began smashing textile machinery across the English Midlands. The unrest spread over the following two years and prompted the British government to make machine-breaking a capital offense. The movement gave its name, "Luddite," to later resistance to industrial technology.
• 1811 Great Comet of 1811 discovered Naked-eye comet visible for months across the night sky French astronomer Honore Flaugergues discovered a comet that became visible to the naked eye for roughly 260 days, among the longest such periods on record. Its appearance coincided with that year's unusually good wine harvest in Europe, giving rise to "comet vintages." The comet was later referenced in Tolstoy's War and Peace.