designed and patented a type of wire fencing known as barbed wire. In a short time, his invention flourished into a multi-million-dollar industry. The slogan for this new style of fencing was ...

We simply call it barbed wire. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that helped create the economic world. It is broadcast on the BBC World Service.

He not only compared encrypted communication to the invention of the printing press, but chose an analogy that had it all: the invention of barbed wire. May wrote, "Just as a seemingly minor invention ...

The influence of the Frying Pan Ranch in changing the history of the American West is immeasurable. It proved the usefulness ...