Here is a free history lesson for everyone on lockdown. The man in the picture is Henry Burton, an English thinker. The state cut off his ears in 1637. His crime? Innovation. Yes, innovation. It used to be illegal pretty much everywhere in the world. 1/x 
The first country to break the mold was the Netherlands during Burton's lifetime. It became a global trading centre during the Eighty Years' War from 1568 to 1648. By the end of that war, it had won its independence from Spain and began to encourage free innovation. 2/x
In 1688, the Dutch king also became the king of England. The country began to relax its laws against innovation, as did its American colonies. In 1764, an Englishman called James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny. He kept his ears and sparked the Industrial Revolution. 3/x
Gradually other countries followed the example of the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. As free innovation became common, life expectancy soared. It is now more than 80 in the UK, compared to less than 40 in Burton's day. 4/x
Obviously, our society has knotty problems, from COVID-19 to climate change. However, beware of anyone telling you that we should ban capitalism! The solutions are likely to involve free innovation, rather than cropping the ears of non-conformists who think outside the box. 5/5
@threadreaderapp Unroll, please
