Barbed wire is a type of steel fencing wire built with sharp points or edges spaced at intervals along its strands, used for inexpensive fencing and for security atop walls. Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio received the first United States patent for barbed wire in 1867, and Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois patented the modern, widely adopted version in 1874 after refining earlier designs. Barbed wire is credited by historians with helping to settle the American West, making large-scale fencing affordable on the open range of the Great Plains and allowing farmers and ranchers to enclose land and protect crops and livestock without the need for large numbers of cowboys.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSourced to the subject's own account YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountCheap, durable barbed wire let settlers fence vast stretches of the American prairie without timber or stone, transforming open range into enclosed private land and reshaping agriculture and ranching across the plains. 1 FAQs
How did barbed wire affect cattle ranching in the American West?
It ended the great cattle drives by letting ranchers contain livestock and raise cattle in more controlled conditions.
Barbed wire brought about the end of the great cattle drives. Because livestock could be contained behind it, the economic advantage lay in being able to raise cattle in more controlled conditions rather than driving them across open range. This is the account given by the National Inventors Hall of Fame in its entry for Joseph Glidden.
What did Joseph Glidden change about earlier barbed wire designs?
He made a double strand of wire that held the barbs securely in place.
According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Glidden improved on existing barbed wire designs by creating a double strand of wire that held the barbs securely in place. He then established the Barb Fence Company to manufacture his wire, and it was an immediate success. He eventually sold his interest to the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company for 60,000 dollars.
Connections
In Field
Source Barbed Wire (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Source Joseph F. Glidden (Wikipedia article)
Sources
1. Barbed Wire (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, Glidden patent sentence
Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois, received a patent for the modern invention in 1874 after he made his own modifications to previous versions.
1873 meeting and initial development section, approval date clause
deferring Glidden's approval for his patented wire, nicknamed "The Winner", until November 24, 1874.
Reception section, contemporary praise quoted
it takes no room, exhausts no soil, shades no vegetation, is proof against high winds, makes no snowdrifts, and is both durable and cheap.
History
The first patent in the United States for barbed wire was issued in 1867
In Field: Materials Engineering, Introduction
Barbed wire is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands.
In Group: Wire Products, Lead paragraph
Barbed wire is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands.
View the Source Joseph F. Glidden (Wikipedia article)
Invented By: Joseph F. Glidden, LeadQuote, Invented By: Joseph F. Glidden, Lead
He was the inventor of the modern barbed wire.
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