Joseph Glidden's simple wire barb locked onto a double-strand wire. Glidden'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.
Joseph Glidden - Patent Drawing for Barbed Wire
Joseph Glidden invented the most familiar style of barbed wire.
By Mary Bellis, About.com Guide
More on Joseph Glidden & barbed wire below photo.
US Patent #157,124 was granted to Joseph Glidden on November 24th, 1874 for improved barbed wire fencing.
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