U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for November 30

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30: BARBED WIRE

Profile America — Wednesday, November 30th.  A simple device was patented this month in 1868 that helped change the course of history in the American West — barbed wire.  Michael Kelly of Dekalb, Illinois invented the first practical such wire.   He threaded little blade-shaped metal thorns onto one of two wires, then twisted them together.  He called it "thorny fence," based on Osage Orange, a thorny plant from Texas.  The double strand made the fence stand up to cattle, and livestock soon learned to steer clear of the barbs.  Historians say barbed wire influenced life in the region as dramatically as firearms, the telegraph and the steam locomotive.  In the U.S. today, barbed wire is part of the nearly $6 billion a year fabricated wire products industry.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  www.archives.gov/education/lessons/barbed-wire

2007 Economic Census, NAICS 332618

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for “Multimedia Gallery” by the “Newsroom” button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau