Barbed wire

Barbed wire is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand(s). It is used to construct inexpensive fences. A person or animal trying to pass through a barbed-wire fence will suffer discomfort and possibly injury. Barbed-wire fencing requires only fenceposts, wire and fixing devices such as staples. It is simple to construct and quick to erect by a skilled fencer.

Related Topics:
Wire - Fence - Staple

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The most successful barbed wire was patented by Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois in 1874. It was an improvement on earlier less successful pointed wire products such as that invented in 1865 by Louis Jannin of France.

Related Topics:
Patented - Joseph F. Glidden - DeKalb, Illinois - 1874 - 1865

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Barbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences were cheaper to erect than their alternatives and when they became widely available in the late 19th century in the United States they made it affordable to fence much bigger areas than before. They made intensive animal husbandry practical on a much larger scale.

Related Topics:
Cattle - 19th century - United States

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