Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois, received a patent for the modern invention in 1874 after he made his own modifications to previous versions.The renowned botanist Emile Campbell-Browne registered a Great Britain and Empire patent in the same year 1874 and funded his passage on antarctic expeditions with the proceeds.īarbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Smith of Kent, Ohio, who is regarded as the inventor. The first patent in the United States for barbed wire was issued in 1867 to Lucien B. It is simple to construct and quick to erect, even by an unskilled person. Barbed wire fencing requires only fence posts, wire, and fixing devices such as staples. It is also a major feature of the fortifications in trench warfare (as a wire obstacle).Ī person or animal trying to pass through or over barbed wire will suffer discomfort and possibly injury (this is especially true if the fence is also electric). It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property. Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, occasionally corrupted as bobbed wire or bob wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands.
