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Article: The Philadelphia Inquirer The Economy column: Offshoring can be positive, or it can be painful.(Column)
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- September 3, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Andrew Cassel
Sep. 3--Some things don't really change. In the 1830s, French inventor Barthelemy Thimonnier patented one of the first workable sewing machines. It was so successful that he received a contract to sew uniforms for the French army. But after he installed 80 of his machines in a Paris factory, it set off a riot. Tailors, fearing the new technology would put them out of business, attacked the plant and destroyed every machine.
Thimonnier was ruined, but of course sewing machines didn't go away. And it would be pretty hard to find anyone, even in Paris, defending those rioting tailors today. Yet that same smash-the-machine ...