Joseph Glidden (1813-1906) did not invent barbed wire, but the improvements to the product that he patented in 1874 resulted in the form of barbed wire still widely in use today. His refinements not only better secured the wire's barbs, but also kept it from snapping in extreme weather. Besides gaining him a personal fortune, Glidden's improvements led to the mass production and widespread use of barbed wire and had a major impact on the development of farming and ranching methods on the American Great Plains.

Joseph Farwell Glidden was born in Charleston, New Hampshire, on January 18, 1813, to David and Polly Hurd Glidden, natives of that state. When Glidden was a child, the family moved to Orleans County, New York, where he lived as a typical farmer's boy. Glidden attended school full time but after reaching adolescence appeared there only during the winter months, as he was needed at...