Life in the American West was reshaped by a series of patents for a simple tool that helped ranchers tame the land: barbed wire. Michael Kelly made a significant improvement to wire fencing with an invention that “twisted two wires together to form a cable for barbs-the first of its kind.” Joseph F. Glidden, an Illinois farmer, submitted this patent for improvement to barbed wire. He was recognized as the winner in the series of improvements to Kelly’s invention. Gilden’s invention made barbed wire more effective not only because he described a method for locking the barbs in place, but also because he developed the machinery to mass-produce the wire. Today, it remains the most familiar style of barbed wire.
Text adapted from “Glidden’s Patent Application for Barbed Wire” in the January 1997 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
