In 1876 salesman John W. Gates brought barbed wire to Texas when he wagered $1 million that he could build a fence that would capably contain cattle. Some incredulous gambler took the bet. Gates ...

The hero we need now.

"Barbed wire excludes and includes. Its function is always to magnify the difference between the inside and the outside," writes historian and philosopher Razac in his brief but startling study of an ...

In the 1870s, few in Texas had heard of barbed wire, and those who had didn’t really believe it could be strong enough to pen cattle. All of that changed in 1876 when two barbed wire salesman for the ...