What was the Great Fear of 1789? The Great Fear of 1789 was a major chapter in the French Revolution and a defining moment in modern history. The information was so detailed that researchers managed to estimate that the Great Fear spread about 28 miles every 24 hours along the country’s road networks. But to Zapperi, this makes both the Great Fear and his team’s epidemiological approach all the more salient. “Today information and misinformation can spread much faster than in the past.