AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE
THE THREAT OF A ROBOT JOBOCALYPSE IS MAKING UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME SO HOT RIGHT NOW.
1797: Thomas Paine proposes taxing land-owners to provide a £10 annual stipend for people over 50 and a one-time £15 payment at 21 years of age.
1848: Belgian Joseph Charlier writes the first fully fledged proposal for basic income. It is virtually unknown until two academics stumble upon it 150 years later.
1918: After World War I, English Quakers call for a weekly “state bonus” for all citizens—a proposal ultimately rejected by the Labour Party.
