Who Invented Barbed Wire

An article by Peter Pierce    Comments Off

Barbed wire is also referred to as barb wire. It is a type of fencing wire used for constructing practical barriers and made life simpler for farmers. Before its inventions, farmers constantly struggled with creating boundaries for their farms and managing their cattle. This fencing wire contains sharp points and edges located at equal intervals. Barbed wire can be used to construct fences at low cost and top walls surrounding the secured property.

Lucien B. Smith from Ohio received the first patent right for invention of barbed wire in the year 1867. Later, Joseph F. Glidden, Illinois received the patent rights in the year 1874 for the invention of modern version of barbed wire. This was the development of the same with modern techniques and improvements.

A person or an animal may suffer discomfort or may get injured while passing the wired fence. Barbed wire fences made it possible for farmers to protect their farms from roaming cattle and allowed them to erect a simple and cost effect barrier that could demarcate the edges of their property. It requires fence posts, wire and fixing devices like staples or tapes and can be erected by even an unskilled person. The fencing wire is inexpensive and easy to erect when compared to other alternatives. Additionally the barbed wire is also used to divide Israel from other Palestinian territories. It also delimits the refugee camps in following areas like Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.