It’s ugly, dangerous and destructive. In its time, it was heralded as one of history’s great inventions. In the 1870s, barbed wire fencing was advertised as “The Greatest Discovery of the Age.” Joseph ...

Few inventions that were designed in the 1870s that have not changed since they were patented, and they are still widely used in the 21st century. Barbed wire is an innovation that fits this category, ...

In the 1870s, few in Texas had heard of barbed wire, and those who had didn’t really believe it could be strong enough to pen cattle. All of that changed in 1876 when two barbed wire salesman for the ...

In 1876 John Warne Gates described the new product he hoped to sell as “lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, cheaper than dust”. Barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America. Show more In 1876 John ...

One day as I was driving from my home near Kraemer Lake, I noticed a small herd of cattle in a pasture fenced with barbed wire. It brought back memories. Wire had been a much-used commodity on our ...

Barbed wire shaped the American West, but it kills, injures and blocks migrating wildlife. Some ranchers are trying high-tech alternatives that could reduce the need for it. On a list of the most ...