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Article updated: 1/25/2013 7:03 AM

Luddites: They raged against the machine and lost

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This publicly distributed illustration from 1812 shows frame-breakers, or Luddites, smashing a loom.

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Their name is synonymous with futile attempts to roll back technology — and with fuddy-duddies who can't figure out how to use the iPhone. The Luddites were British textile artisans who 200 years ago smashed the mechanized looms they thought threatened their jobs.

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