Welsh manufacturer and social reformer Robert Owen was born May 14, 1771. He developed utopian socialist ideas--an eight-hour work day, innovative education, collective child rearing, and others--that could be implemented in experimental communities. In 1824, he moved to the U.S. and purchased the community of Harmony, Indiana which had been established in 1814 as a pietist community. Owen renamed it New Harmony. Although the "Owenist" community lasted only two years, New Harmony continued as a significant national center for the natural sciences. Beth and I enjoyed visiting New Harmony a couple years ago!
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