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Today is the bicentennial of the birth of Richard Cobden [2], founder of The Economist [3], a founder of the Anti-Corn Law League [4], and partner in this League with John Bright [5] in successfully campaigning for Britain’s great move toward free trade in 1846. (It wasn’t a completely successful campaign, however. See Nye [6].) Cobden was one of history’s greatest advocates of free trade – hence, he was one of history’s greatest advocates of civilization.
Happy birthday, Mr. Cobden.
I thank John Blundell for alerting me to this nice remembrance of Cobden, by Peter Clarke, in The Scotsman [7].